System chapter 6

Ichigou and Katsuki go to the mall to buy notebooks and hero-themed items. Ichigou senses danger and notices a pink-haired woman before chaos erupts. They help people from the escalator and Ichigou agrees to look for a lost girl. Katsuki stays behind while Ichigou uses his abilities to search for the villains. Hello, and welcome back. I'm going to continue reading System Synthesis, Chapter 6, entitled This Is Not How I Planned Things To Go. "'Gotcha, and I'm going to head to the mall,' Ichigou informed, fishing out his wallet from his bag. "'What? Why?' Katsuki asked. "'I need to buy some new notebooks?' Ichigou answered. "'I got my allowance, so I want to buy the hero-themed ones.'" "'You still write those creepy notes?' Katsuki asked, distastefully. His face scrunched up as if disgusted. "'Fuckin' stalker.'" Ichigou grinned as he dropped his presents with his belt and stepped behind his friends without his notice. And then, he grabbed onto his neck and stepped close to his back. The effect was immediate. Katsuki's body went completely limp in his hands as he froze. Ichigou grinned wider. "'Then you should know I know everything about you, Kajan,' he purred, mentally thanking this memory for all the classes. Her method of being seductive while threatening people felt incredibly uneasy. "'I could kill you.'" He pressed the tip of his pointer finger of his other hand into the small of Katsuki's back. His friend flinched at the action, making it look like an accident and get away with it. Katsuki let out an almost inaudible sound of distress. It came from the back of his mouth, and Ichigou knew the boy probably didn't even realize he was making that sound. He doubted Katsuki could hear anything above the sound of his own heartbeat at the moment. His flight or fight response must be hitting him at full force. Ichigou let him go and watched the tension slowly slip away from his friend's back. To Katsuki's credit, he snapped out of his stupor with only a few blinks and spun around to glare at him. "'You fuckin' nerd!' all Ichigou leaned forward, shutting Katsuki up mid-sentence, completely unaware of his dominant skill taking effect. Although his friend wasn't intimidated, he did feel uncomfortable due to the silent threat. "'Kill you? Hmm. Anyways,' he leaned away. "'Should I get a hock-themed pencil set or a wild, wild pussycat?' "'The fuck am I supposed to know?' Katsuki grumbled and stepped forward. "'I'm going to buy a Miracle Keychain!' Ichigou blinked, and his eyes widened. "'You're coming with me?' "'Yeah, I was planning to go to the mall before you told me anyways,' Katsuki replied grouchily. He held up a cup of bills in his hand and smirked. "'I'm going to buy the new Edge Shot figurine!' Ichigou beamed. "'Then let's go together, Kat-chan!' "'Whatever.'" All Ichigou wanted was to buy the new hock's pencil set. Kat-chan grabbed it and slammed it onto the counter after Ichigou spent ten minutes trying to decide which one to pick. And two new notebooks. Really, that was all! Ichigou hadn't even thought about the lack of villain attacks this month. Too busy working on his own progress and learning fire breathing. But no. Shota had to be right, and he just had to be a danger magnet. He was in the middle of deciding what ice cream to buy with the extra they had left. When his passive skills flared, selective focus, aural sense, and situational awareness worked together to ring the alarms in his mind. His sudden change in demeanor must have been too drastic. Because Katsuki noticed, and instead of grumbling, he looked at him truly concerned there. Ichigou spotted, with the help of his selective focus, a bubblegum pink haired woman walking through the crowd. His attention zeroed in on her. "'Oi, nerd, what's wrong?' Katsuki asked. Ichigou continued looking at the woman while dragging Katsuki away from the shop and into a much less crowded place. He cursed in his mind when the woman used the escalator to go downstairs and out of his sight. "'I think there are villains in here,' Ichigou whispered. He must have found it really grave because Katsuki didn't get angry at the sudden declaration and call him mad. Instead, he only asked, "'How do you know?' Ichigou asked. "'I just—' "'How is he supposed to explain?' "'I don't know. I just feel danger around me, and for some reason, there was this pink haired woman that caught my attention.' "'You just felt it?' Katsuki repeated. Ichigou knew it sounded crazy and tried to come up with a better explanation. When a loud commotion broke out, both of them snapped their heads in the direction of the escalator and saw a large crowd of people running down, practically pushing each other. Oh no, Ichigou breathed. It's bad. If one of them falls—' And as if he had just jinxed himself, someone did fall from the side of the escalator. Ichigou curved at the same time as Katsuki, but he reacted first. Using sprint, he covered as much distance as he could, then held his hand out in front of him. He imagined an invisible rope wrapping around the falling teenager's body and pulled. His pull skill did level up last week, but he didn't know how much the kid weighed. He could only hope it was within ten kilograms within his range. And maybe he was, or maybe Ichigou couldn't tell for sure, but the boy's body got pulled towards him. Once he was close enough, he let go of the invisible rope and caught him in his arms. "'Are you okay?' he asked the terrified teenager. The boy looked at him with misty eyes, both shocked and confused, and nodded. "'Yeah, thanks.' "'You're welcome,' Ichigou smiled back and put him down. He turned to check on his friend, only to find him barreling forward towards the escalator. "'Oh shit,' he thought as he used pull on his friend and stopped him in his tracks. Katsuki turned back with a ferocious expression. "'What the fuck, Zuko?' Ichigou pulled him backwards, grateful that the blonde only weighed a few kilograms more than him. "'Despite the distance and build, what do you think you're doing heading in first like that? "'There's a villain. We don't know if there's just one, Katsuyan,' Ichigou said, cutting off Katsuki. "'Unless the villain has some really strong quirk, no one would be stupid enough to attack in a mall by themselves!' Katsuki frowned, but considered his words. He dropped his tense posture and asked, "'The fuck are we supposed to do now?' "'We can't use quirks,' Ichigou replied. Katsuki growled, "'I'm not going to sit here and play. Use of quirks to fight villains counts as resilientism, Katsan. "'If you get caught, you'll lose your chance at UA.' "'His friend may be a good fighter, but he sure as hell was reckless.' "'So what are we supposed to do?' Katsuki hissed angrily. "'First, let's help those people coming down the escalator before someone else gets pushed off the escalator "'or someone dies from getting stampeded on,' Ichigou replied. Katsuki pressed his lips together in a thin line, obviously wanting to fight the villain. "'Being a hero just isn't just about fighting villains, Katsan,' Ichigou reminded. "'You need to help people, too.' "'Shut up. Don't give me a lesson. I know, okay?' Katsuki snapped. Ichigou then gave in and then ushered him to go help the people. It was hard trying to rein in the flurry of people trying to hurry down the escalator. Katsuki had to threaten out loud before they snapped back into their senses. Ichigou used his pool skill to help the children down first while Katsuki kept them in line. "'Someone call the police!' Ichigou shouted. He noticed some of the teenagers nod and take out their phones to call the cops. "'Junie!' Ichigou heard one of the people shout in panic. He turned around after pulling a little girl down on the floor to find the man frantically looking around. He glanced back at Katsuki to find him helping the older people through the commotion and decided to go check up on the frantic man. "'Junie! Junie, baby, where are you? Sir?' he called out. The man snapped his attention towards him. "'Sir, what's wrong? Can I help you with something?' "'My daughter!' the man exclaimed. "'My daughter, I can't find her!' "'Shit!' Ichigou whispered under his breath. "'I can help you, sir. Where... were you on the first... fourth floor?' "'Yes,' the man nodded. "'And I was so sure she was holding my hand, but now... "'It happens often in crowds, sir. Don't worry, I'll look for her. "'Can you tell me how old she is and what she was wearing? "'Does she have any unique features?' "'She's ten years old, and she was wearing a purple-colored jumpsuit. "'Her hair is dark pink and tied up in two pigtails.'" "'Okay,' Ichigou nodded. "'Sir, please stay here just in case she came down with the crowd.' "'Well, I'll go look for her, okay?' "'Okay.' "'Okay,' the man nodded. "'With a nod, Ichigou sprinted back to the escalator. "'Ka-chan!' Ichigou called. "'I'm going upstairs.'" "'What?' His friend snapped his head towards him. "'I thought you said no hero business, Tsuku?' "'No hero business, I swear!' Ichigou held up his hand. "'I'm going to look for someone.' "'That, sir,' he pointed towards the man that he had just met. "'Lost his daughter. They were up on the fourth floor when it happened. "'So I'm just going to check. I'm coming with you,' Katsuki said. "'No,' Ichigou shot back. "'Ka-chan, I told you we don't know how many villains there are. "'I'll go look.' "'He tossed- he took out his phone and tossed it at his friend. "'Pass me your phone. "'Use mine to call my dad or Uncle Sashi or Nemi for help.' "'Katsuki did without any question. "'Ichigou grabbed the olive green-cased phone being tossed his way with practiced ease.'" "'Oi, nerd, what's the password?' "'Are you even my friend? I'll message you when I find the villains.' "'Ichigou shot back as he aimed his hand towards the railing of the floor above. "'There wasn't anything to pull towards him, but he could get pulled upwards. "'He found out about it during a mishap that led to him hitting a broken fridge face first. "'If it's too heavy or something that can't be moved, Ichigou would get pulled towards it instead. "'As soon as Ichigou got on the floor above, he spotted the villains. "'Selective focus filters out every other person from his vision apart from them, "'but at the same time, it focused on another person, a kid, just like the man had described, "'being held hostage by the villains. "'Shit!' Ichigou hissed as he hid behind a pillar. "'He used stealth to completely hide his presence and crouched down. "'From the group of three villains, he recognized two of them. "'The guy with bright yellow hair called Lemon Bomber. "'His quirk being exactly what his villain name suggested, he could create lemon-shaped grenades. "'And the woman with cropped electric blue hair, Rei. "'Her quirk was lightning. How are they here?' "'Ichigou thought to himself. They are supposed to be in Tartarus. "'Situational awareness notified him of the pink-haired woman he had seen before pressing onto her as she talked. "'His guess turned out to be right. There were more villains. "'Ichigou realized he needed to hide. "'There was a fourth unknown villain, and he was out in the open. "'It was practically inviting the fourth villain to catch him. "'Ichigou used the hero's potted plants to his advantage and camouflaged against them. "''Aegis, is it complete?' he heard the woman say out loud once he was close enough. "'Ichigou froze. Aegis is the fourth person? How?' "'He remembered Aegis, a villain with a terrifying shield quirk, exactly as the name entailed. "'He had caused huge destruction, but was caught by All Might three years ago. "'How are these people out of Tartarus?' "'Ichigou peeked through the bushes and gritted his teeth together. "'He saw Lemon Bomber crouching down in front of a group of kids with a sickening smile as he held a Lemon Bomb in his hand. "'They didn't need to hear him to know what he might be saying. "'The kids, teenagers to be exact, flinching away from the man was enough for him. "'Lemon Bomber was known for playing nasty games with his victims. "'He would place a number of Lemon Bombs in front of them, only one of them being live, "'and ask them to choose one and pull the pin. "'If they didn't, he would threaten to use the live one he carried in his hand. "'Luck didn't even matter in the sixth game. "'Anyone who played always ended up picking the live bombs. "'He thanked Fear Resistance as it cleared his mind, and Concentration kept him from doing stupid things. "'He couldn't fight all of them without risking the hostages. "'He wasn't allowed to use Quirks, but he had gone over Heroic's laws with Shelter several times and figured out enough rules. "'It was only considered Vigilantism if Quirks were used. "'Or, to be more specific, if there was proof of Quirk usage. "'It's a grabby set of skills he could use that would leave no trace behind. "'So, he hid himself under the gap of one of the seats and tried to come up with a plan. "'I can't take them all head-on, but if I can separate them, or at least take them away from the people... "'He looked in front of him. "'The hallway curved. The hallway curved. "'All the floors are in circles. "'He could attract them to the other side. "'With that plan in mind, he started crawling away. "'Once he had turned the curve and was out of their sight, he got up and used Sprint to cover the rest of the distance. "'Reaching the other side from where he could see their backs, Issigoo stopped. "'Then, he took out his phone and sent two brief messages to his friend. "'Before focusing back on the situation and switched his phone off, "'he couldn't use Disassemble or Assemble. There were cameras around. "'Sprint didn't make him excessively fast and could be chopped off as a normal high-speed runner. "'But he couldn't explain ripping apart machines and putting them together with just his touch. "'I need something else to get their attention. "'He looked at the potted plants around him. "'Well...' "'Don't break. Don't break. Please don't break.' "'Don't break,' Issigoo whispered as he pushed one of the pots forward. "'It fell down with a loud thunk, but it didn't break. "'All the old friends told him that he had succeeded in getting their attention. "'With stealth, he swiftly changed places and waited. "'It didn't take long before he heard footsteps heading his way, and God was the person loud. "'Issigoo listened to the sound of footsteps and concluded it was Lemon Bomber coming his way. "'The footsteps were heavy like combat boots. "'Therefore, it couldn't be the pink-haired woman, who he definitely saw was wearing heels. "'And it wouldn't be Ray, either. She... she wore platforms. "'Yes, his analysis are that detailed.' "'Issigoo caught a glimpse of the Bomber and took a quick glance at his state. "'Name, Noguchi Konoe. "'Username, Lemon Bomber. "'Age, 26 years. "'Language, Japanese. "'Level, 35. "'Rank, D. "'Quirk, Lemon Bombs, C. "'Status, Titles. "'Config, Number, 1423. "'Lemon Bomber. "'H.P., 550 out of 650. "'E.P., 566 out of 600. "'Statistics, Strength, 35. "'Dexterity, 48. "'Agility, 40. "'Speed, 45. "'Charisma, 57. "'Intelligence, 40. "'This guy relies too much on his quirk,' Issigoo thought with narrowed and somewhat judgmental eyes. 'Thankfully, he was the same rank as him, which means he could use his newly gained skill.' "'A somewhat devilish grin spread on his lips as the man continued walking towards his trap, 'for muttering curses and grumbling complaints. "'Once he was close enough, Issigoo activated dominance. "'The effect was immediate. "'The man froze in his path, standing ramrod straight. "'Issigoo's presence was hidden, so he guessed all the man would sense was an ominous aura without any source. "'Ooh, sounds terrifying.' "'Issigoo took the chance and approached him with quiet and agile steps. "'Shifter would be so proud of him,' he thought. "'The man was already under the effect of his dominance, so it was easy to knock him down with a swift kick to the back of his knee. "'As soon as he knelt down, Issigoo quickly apprehended him. "'He wrapped his arms around the man's neck and put him in a chokehold, while using his palm to cover his mouth. "'The man, scared and panicked, thanks to his skill, could only let out muffled screams. "'Issigoo dragged him away as far as he could, while counting the seconds in his mind. "'He trained every day because of the scary-ass system, and he had been trained by his number one for a year now. "'He can knock out one unaware villain alright.' "'Even after the man went limp in his arms, Issigoo maintained the chokehold just in case, before letting go. "'Then, very gently, laid him down on the ground and looked around. "'I need something to tie him up with.' "'Issigoo looked at the glass door of the shop right beside him, and an idea popped into his mind as he walked in. "'Jumping over the empty cash counter, he looked through the bags and drawers until he found what he needed. "'Twist ties. "'Not really that effective, but the man wasn't strong enough to snap out of it. "'He grabbed a few with him and walked back out. "'Turning the villain over on his stomach, he tied his hands and legs with twist ties, "'before dragging him aside and hiding him underneath the marble seat. "'A new notification popped up, telling him that his new skill, Dominance, had leveled up. "'Then he moved back to his original position. "'It didn't take long for his second victim to come to his head. "'What the hell is Bomber doing? Why is it taking so long?' the pink-haired woman hissed. "'Isn't there a jewelry shop on this floor?' "'He's probably there,' Vae replied. "'Go check on him.' "'What? Why me?' the pink-haired woman hissed. "'He didn't hear anything in reply, but whatever replies he got was enough to convince her, "'as he heard the character's sound of heels heading his way. "'Goodness, these people are loud.' "'Once again, he checked the woman's profile. "'Name, Arakawa Hitomi. "'Username, Hypno. "'Age, 29 years. "'Language, Japanese. "'Level, 35. "'Think, C. "'Quirk, Hypnotism, C. "'Status, Titles, Mind Controller. "'HP, 550 out of 650. "'EP, 566 out of 700. "'Statistics, Strength, 30. "'Dexterity, 42. "'Agility, 50. "'Speed, 46. "'Charisma, 78. "'Intelligence, 60. "'Huh. Hypnotism should be a strong quirk, "'so his secret didn't understand why it was C-ranked. "'Not the problem. I need to knock her out.' "'He didn't know why, he didn't know how her quirks worked, "'and he didn't really want to find out either. "'Unlike before, he couldn't use Dominance on her "'because of her being a rank higher than him. "'He didn't know if her Hypnotism was touch-based or Oracle. "'There were so many variables, he couldn't afford to give away his position. "'That was his only advantage, "'and he needed to take her down quickly "'because he figured out Bomber was missing. "'So, if he could focus on his breath, "'he still hadn't been able to level up, "'but he could feel the changes in his body. "'Even if for a short period of time, "'he knew he got stronger, "'his mouth quietly produced. "'As Asugu breathed in and out, "'he could feel the heat rise up inside his body and move. "'He needed to knock her out hard and fast. "'With strength, he dashed towards her. "'She noticed him, but Asugu was faster "'and sent a well-aimed kick towards her head. "'He panicked when her body dropped "'and used Pull to grab her before she hit the ground. "'Then, just as quickly, "'he grabbed her with his hand and played the cameras "'and kept his accidental Quirk usage. "'He dragged her into the shop he got the twist chives from "'and tied her up inside. "'Two people were already missing. "'There was no way they wouldn't notice. "'He was probably on guard at the moment "'and already informed Aegis. "'He had no other choice apart from head-on confrontation, "'but before he reached her, "'a loud explosion echoed on the floor below. "'Asugu froze for a moment. "'Why is Kacchan using his Quirk?' "'His eyes widened when the realization hit him. "'Four villains were present. "'Two he knocked out. "'One was with the hostages, "'and the other, the most dangerous one, "'was yet to be found. "'Asugu ran. "'Rei had her back towards him "'as she looked over the edge, "'probably to see where the explosions were coming from. "'No time to waste. "'His lungs burned as his temperature rose up. "'Fire-breathing was strong, "'but its backlash was harsh. "'Asugu's muscles ached and burned "'once he stopped fire-breathing. "'His EP would plummet down because of it. "'Asugu kicked her behind her knees, "'destabilizing her, "'before sending another kick to the side of her abdomen. "'He heard her let out a startled sound "'before she growled. "'The smell of ozone filled his nose. "'Rei was preparing to counter-attack, "'and Asugu did not have resistance against lightning. "'His legs burned "'when her hand came in contact with it. "'Asugu hissed out in pain "'and used his other leg "'to kick the back of her head. "'She groaned as her head hit the marbled floor. "'A small sap of lightning hit her shoulder. "'Asugu hissed in pain, "'resisting the urge to clutch the wound. "'Be fast, overwhelm her. "'He sent another kick to her stomach, "'sending her flying back, "'and she hit a pillar. "'She groaned in pain. "'Asugu grabbed her leg and pulled her towards him "'before climbing up on her. "'He pinned her arms down on the floor "'and placed his knee on her neck. "'I'm going to kill you, brat,' she hissed. "'Kill me? Are you blind? "'Do you not realize the position you're in?' "'Concentration and selective focus "'made him ignore her threat "'and push her down against the ground "'as he tried to push him off. "'Asugu looked up at the group of hostages "'and quickly checked their position. "'His eyes landed on the pink-haired girl, Juni,' "'his mind provided. "'The reason he came up here in the first place. "'She had the perfect quirk. "'Juni,' he called with a smile. "'Hi, I'm Midori Asugu. "'We don't know each other, "'but I met your dad downstairs and he was looking for you. "'He was really worried. "'Anyways, I need a little help here. "'Your dad said your quirk puts people to sleep, Juni.' "'Bless her courageous soul,' nodded hesitantly. "'Asugu smiled encouragingly at her. "'Right, um, could you lend me a little hand and put her?' "'He jutted his chin towards Rei to sleep. "'Don't worry, I'm holding her down "'and she won't be able to touch you. "'Rei needed to move her hands to call for lightning. "'Juni glanced at him and then at Rei with panicked eyes, "'but then her eyes steeled and she nodded. "'God, she's so brave for a ten-year-old, Asugu thought. "'He beamed at her and chirped, "'Thanks!' "'He waited patiently, "'pinning Rei down harder and harder "'for Juni slowly approached them. "'She crawled towards them "'and stopped at a hand's reach above Rei. "'Smart,' Asugu thought. "'In that position, "'Rei won't be able to reach her directly "'even if she managed to move me. "'Then, slowly, she reached "'and tapped her hand on Rei's hand. "'Her fingertips glowed in the same shade as her hair "'and Rei went limp under his grip. "'Asugu waited for a few seconds, "'slowly loosening his grip. "'Once he heard the woman snore softly, "'he let go. "'He looked up to the hostages once again. "'Um, can anyone get the twist ties from the shops? "'I need to tie her up.' "'One of the teens, a guy with black and white hair, "'nodded quietly "'before getting up and rushing to the nearest shop. "'He came back a minute later, "'carrying rope and twist ties in his hand. "'I found this behind the counter,' "'he said hesitantly, holding it out for him. "'Asugu grinned. "'Thanks, it's perfect.' "'As he was in the process of tying Rei up, "'more explosions echoed through the floor below. "'The hostages yelped and clapped down in fear. "'Don't worry,' Asugu said out loud. "'That's my friend. "'He has an explosion quirk. "'At that, they seemed to relax a little.' "'Asugu took another glance at the people around him "'and noticed most of the hostages had been below 18. "'He pressed his lips together and frowned. "'The other two, the lemon guy and pink-haired woman, "'are tied up there.' "'He pointed to where he had been hiding. "'Lemon guy is under one of the seats "'and the pink-haired woman is at the gate of one of the shops. "'You can keep an eye on them if you don't want to go down.' "'He stood up. "'Stay here, hide in the shop you want. "'We've already called the police, but you guys can try again.' "'With that, he headed downstairs. "'The moment his feet touched the third floor, "'Asugu had to jump out of the way of an explosion. "'Luckily, all the people were gone, "'except for a small group that Katsuki seemed to be protecting. "'Or, well, they were behind him "'while Katsuki was fighting the villain. "'Asugu turned to the fight. "'The Edges shield was exactly as he remembered seeing on the TV. "'Absolutely terrifying. "'He didn't need to check the man's profile "'to know that he was way out of their league. "'But Asugu wasn't planning on fighting him anyways. "'He just needed to stall time before the heroes. "'To be honest, it felt like everything has been going on for hours. "'Well, in reality, it's only been 15 minutes. "'Even if Katsuki managed to call Shota, Hisashi, or Namiri, "'it would take a minimum of 30 minutes for them to reach this mall all the way from UA. "'Even the nearest police station was 20 minutes away. "'The security guards of this place were probably already knocked out "'given how there was absolutely no one present. "'Asugu focused back on the fight. "'Katsuki, despite the scowl and growling, looked petrified. "'What was the power of the Aegis Quirk? "'Exactly like the mythical shield. "'Selective focus helped him spot something. "'Something that made his eyes widen. "'Something Katsuki had yet to notice. "'Lemon bombs. "'Bunch of them hung around Aegis's belt. "'He grabbed one of them and pulled the pin. "'Shit. "'Asugu sprinted around and tackled Katsuki away while shouting, "'Everyone get down!' "'Lemon bombs were C-ranked for a reason. "'The heat of the explosion burned his back despite his heat resistance, "'and the shockwave was enough to throw them across the floor. "'Asugu groaned in pain as his back hit the ground, "'but he didn't have the time to relax "'before Oryo's sense and situational awareness were blaring in his mind. "'He acted on instinct. "'He grabbed Katsuki with one hand "'and aimed his hand to the pillar on the side and pulled. "'Their bodies skidded across the floor "'just as another lemon grenade hit the part of the floor "'that had been on a fraction of a second ago. "'The shockwave threw them across "'and Asugu wheezed out as he hit the pillar. "'Katsuki's weight behind him only added to the pain. "'He was sure he had broken a rib. "'Glass splintered above them and rained down, "'digging into him at different parts. "'He screwed his eyes closed and held a hand over his head "'to keep the glass shards from hitting his head. "'Once the shower of shards stopped, "'he pushed himself off the ground. "'The shards on the ground dug into his palm, "'but Asugu ignored the pain. "'He looked at his friend. "'Katsuki had been knocked out from the blow earlier. "'He looked up to find edges glaring menacing at them "'and then chilled. "'Asugu felt his heart beat skyrocket. "'And for the first time after a month, "'he felt blood-curdling fear settle in his body. "'The fear from when he died because of the sludge villain. "'The fear he felt when he was chased by the jaguar with a quirk. "'All of it condensed into his body at once. "'This dirty shield of his fear-resistant skills "'shattered from the pressure of the shield. "'Asugu whimpered, "'I need to fight the fear. "'I need to fight the fear. "'Kacchan is not awake. "'I need to protect him. "'I need to.' "'Tears streamed down his cheeks as the villain approached them. "'I need to distract myself from the fear.' "'Asugu crept down and grabbed one of the shards. "'He gritted his teeth and dug the shard into his thigh. "'Pain blossomed like fire. "'It snapped him out of his fear-induced paralysis. "'Asugu grabbed Katsuki and pulled him out of the way. "'There's nowhere to run, kiddo.' "'Aegis sneered, pulling out another grenade. "'Asugu felt his eyes widened. "'He won't be able to move out of the way fast enough for carrying Katsuki, "'even if he used sprint. "'A loud crash came, "'followed by something being burst open. "'A blur of yellow, red, and blue passed by him. "'With fear no longer crowding his mind, "'fear-resistance back in place, "'and his other passive skills aiding his mind, "'he shouted, "'He has lemon bombs!' "'Asugu only thought he shouted, "'and, enviably, his voice hadn't been loud enough, "'or maybe he wasn't quick enough to shout the warning "'because All Might did not dodge the bomb. "'Instead, he attempted to swat it back, "'but lemon grenades didn't explode "'just because the pain was pulled. "'They exploded at touch, "'and a little mind helpfully provided. "'Asugu used his body as a shield to cover Katsuki "'from heat, shockwave, and the splinters. "'While Katsuki blinked his eyes open, "'his eyes fell on him and widened like saucers. "'Asugu!' "'I'm fine,' Asugu blurted as Katsuki pushed him back and sat up. "'The fuck? Fine? You're bleeding!' "'He paused and looked at All Might and then at Edges "'and the splinters around them. "'Did you just use yourself to shield me?' "'Ka-chan, not now!' "'He really didn't think now was the time to talk about his actions.' "'The fuck you mean, not now?' Katsuki grumbled. "'Ka-chan, we need to move!' "'Asugu snapped. "'The blonde snapped his mouth shut and clenched his jaw. "'Detroit, smash!' "'All Might declared, loudly declared. "'Katsuki grabbed him and spun him around "'just as his shockwave from the punch hit him. "'Ka-chan!' Asugu cried out in alarm. "'Shut up!' Katsuki snapped. "'I'm fine. Unlike you!' "'Edges was down with one punch. "'The police came swarming inside at that moment. "'Two officers approached them. "'Jesus, what?' "'One of them gasped upon seeing him. "'There were three more villains upstairs,' Asugu interrupted, "'along with eight hostages ranging from 10 years old to 18 years old. "'The villains upstairs are Lemon Bomber, Frey, "'and a third one with bubblegum pink hair "'and with a touch-based hypnotism quirk.' "'The police officer looked at him in shock. "'Asugu wanted to scream, "'Stop staring and go get them!' "'What are you staring at?' Katsuki snapped and said for him. "'Didn't you hear him? There's three more upstairs. Arrest them!' "'One of the officers, a man with a mutation to look like a cat, "'snapped out of his stupor and nodded at them before rushing upstairs. "'The other continued staring at them for a few more seconds "'before speaking into his walkie-talkie and asking for medical assistance. "'Young man, a very familiar voice called. "'Asugu sucked in a sharp breath and turned around. "'His hand clutched onto Katsuki's shirt as he looked up at All Might. "'Thank you for protecting the people. "'I am sorry for being unable to arrive earlier.' "'He held out his hand. "'And because of your help, I will talk to the police officers in return "'and request them to let you go despite vigilantism.' "'Asugu stared at the man that was once his favorite number one hero. "'All Might was still the number one, "'but he was knocked out of that position from his list "'the day he left him on the rooftop by himself after crushing his dreams. "'He doesn't remember me at all?' "'Asugu scoffed internally and shook his head. "'Of course he doesn't! "'Why would he remember a quirkless person like me?' "'Citing the urge to roll his eyes, he grabbed the hero's hand. "'Personally, most in the shy aside, "'the man was the number one hero and he was good at his job as well. "'Nice and general and competent. "'He still respected the man nonetheless. "'But as soon as he touched the man's hand "'and felt something wet and sticking under his palm, "'something happened. "'Something was being pushed into his body. "'Something powerful and strong. "'Something breathtaking. "'He looked up at All Might "'and found the hero looking at him with wide-shocked eyes, "'so he felt it as well. "'I wonder what that was.' "'What?' "'He couldn't even finish his sentence before he passed out. "'Shoto was in the middle of teaching his class when his phone rang. "'He stopped writing on the board. "'Apart from a few people, "'no one's calls were supposed to reach him "'and the ones who could call him would only call him for an emergency. "'Nomori and Hisashi didn't need to call him. "'If they needed him for something, they could find him. "'Tensei won't call him. "'Well, he knows Shoto would be teaching. "'That left Inko and Zuko. "'And neither would call him while he was at U.A. "'unless it was absolutely necessary. "'So, putting down the chalk, "'he went to fish out his phone from his sleeping bag. "'A gag gift from Hisashi and Inko. "'What's wrong?' "'He never finished his question as a loud voice cut him off. "'Oi, you fucking moron. "'There's a kid here. "'Are you fucking blind or what?' "'The Bakugo kid's very familiar loud voice came. "'Bakugo,' he called, "'trying to figure out why he would be calling him with Itsuku's phone. "'There's a villain attack in the mall at the shopping district,' "'Katsuki shouted into the phone. "'The exit's that way, you blind fuck. "'Kid, kid, kid, stop crying. "'What's wrong? "'It's fine. "'I'm going to beat up the villains. "'Go with the adults. "'Stop crying. "'The fuck, bitch. "'See where you're-' "'Bakugo,' Shoto said sternly. "'A villain attack in the mall? "'Is that why they were shouting, but why? "'God, please, no. "'Do not let it be what I think it is.' "'The damned nerd went to find the villains,' Bakugo informed. "'There's four of them. "'Lemon Bomb, Ray, Aegis, and Pink Bitch he didn't know the name of. "'There are hostages upstairs and no fucking hero in sight. "'So hurry up and get your hobo-looking ass over here. "'Now!' "'Shoto was already running, "'shouting at his closest representative to take over. "'As soon as Bakugo hung up, Shoto called Nezu. "'The chimera picked up after the first ring. "'Most likely already watching him run down the hallways. "'I need to leave. "'There's an emergency,' Shoto said. "'Not bothering to explain. "'He didn't have the time to. "'He needed to hurry. "'Lemon Bomb, Ray, and Aegis were criminals "'who were supposed to be in Tartarus. "'And even if Shoto believed the Shogun could take on Lemon Bomber and Ray, "'didn't mean he was okay with his son fighting villains years before he was supposed to. "'And even more problematic was Aegis. "'The villain defeated several pro-heroes "'before he and All Might tag-teamed to capture him. "'His shield can paralyze anyone with fear. "'Even if a Shogun had fear resistance, "'it wouldn't stand a chance against a shield's overwhelming power. "'I have already messaged President Mike to take over your class,' Nezu replied. "'Shoto was glad that the chimera knew it wasn't the time to play mind games, "'because if he had, Shoto would've snapped. "'Fuck the job. "'He didn't need it if it meant he would have to leave his kid in danger. "'And I have taken the liberty to provide one of UA's private cars for your transportation. "'You will find it waiting for you outside the gate.' "'Thank you,' Shoto replied, "'completely unaware of the shock settling on his boss "'as he raced across the UA grounds. "'And out the door, "'there was a black jeep waiting for him outside with the keys inside. "'Shoto knew he was going to be too late, "'but he still sped through the road. "'He can deal with the traffic, police, and fines later on. "'He just hoped someone, any pro hero, got there on time. "'It just was ruthless, and Azuku,' Shoto shook his head, "'thinking the worst and panicking won't help anyone. "'His phone rang. "'I glanced at it, told him it was Hisashi. "'His friend was smart enough to figure out something very wrong must have happened, "'and maybe he should pick up the call and answer him, otherwise he would be worried. "'But Shoto didn't want to get distracted at all at the moment. "'I'm sorry,' he thought, and hoped his friend would understand his rush. "'Alright, that is the end of this chapter. "'I am sorry for all the stumbling and mispronunciations. "'Thanks for listening. Bye-bye.'"