(Kata POV – Above The Ocean)
"...Tch." The sound slips out before I realise it, as I watch Kurogiri's portal snap shut with a final twist of violet light, taking AFO with it.
The villain has escaped, leaving me standing in the almost empty sky.
'Damn it.' My jaw tightens. Irritation never helped anyone, and is useless… yet crawls slowly up my spine anyway, cold and unwelcome as it spreads throughout my body.
'This isn't good…'
AFO escaping with New Order is 'problematic' on a scale that few words could ever accurately express.
With it, he can repair all the damage All Might inflicted, counter my quirk if he's careful, and reinforce his own body…
Worst of all, he could improve his ability to hold and weaponize countless quirks.
All of that together paints a very simple conclusion:
'He just became exponentially more dangerous.'
And because of that…
"I can't allow him to live." I speak coldly, declaring it as an inevitable fact waiting to happen.
If he, or anyone who knows him gets within range of my quirk… it'll be game over.
But for now, I need to revise every one of my plans. From the defenses I have around my home, to the security of the people I care about…
'Almost none of them will work, since they rely on Telekinetic Energy.'
And unlike S&S, AFO wouldn't hesitate to use them against me.
The air around me trembles, warping and twisting violently as I imagine the possibility… before I shut it down.
'Now's not the time. I need to focus.'
I exhale and force the frustration to settle as I turn my gaze to the woman floating mid-air beside me.
'At least she didn't die this time.' I sigh, wondering if New Order is always destined to lose to AFO.
Cathleen's body hangs limp in the air, suspended by my quirk.
Blood drips from her wounds, falling into the vast ocean below, while her breathing is faint and shallow.
The ocean below is still violently disturbed, as an enormous gouge carved into its surface from my opening strike. The abyss stretches down into darkness, slowly filling back in as the walls of water collapse inward with a thunderous roar.
The sound rises up to us like distant thunder.
Her injuries aren't minor. Numerous broken bones, pierced organs and severe blood loss, but…
"Even death can be treated." I mutter as my hand begins to glow with deep green telekinetic energy as I channel the healing energy into her. Her wounds close rapidly, flesh knitting back together, her blood regenerating and starting to flow vigorously as breath evens out and adopts a steady rhythm.
She doesn't wake, which is probably for the best.
'Now… the others.'
There are six bodies, but only four are still viable. Two have already had their souls dissipate, and while I could recreate the rest… is it worth doing so?
The ability to revive the dead, even if only the recently deceased, would cause me a lot of headaches if people discovered it.
'There's no benefit in doing it.' I rationalize. 'Cathleen is now quirkless, so a favour from her isn't as valuable either.'
So those who died don't matter in the grand scheme of things, but…
'I don't have to always pick the most logical choice.' I sigh. 'I like Cathleen as a person, and she considers them family. I can help once in a while.'
It's nothing but a minor inconvenience.
I read through Cathleen's memories, only so I can identify who is who, and their appearance.
Their DNA can be found in the wreckage. Their bone structure, muscle density, and other general structures are simply reconstructed based on Cathleen's memory, and for simplicity, I make them healthy.
Their bodies mend beneath my telekinetic field, and while restoring them, I bend the surrounding light. From any satellite feed, it will appear as if I'm rescuing them from the debris barely alive and healing them.
Small precautions can make large problems disappear.
And when the four of them stabilize, I let out a breath.
"Now…" I say quietly, "It's your turn."
My gaze lifts to the sky around me.
Dozens of Gigantomachia and Hood clones hang in the air like grotesque ornaments, their limbs twitching as their muscles strain against invisible binds.
They're no longer floating… but instead suspended by me.
I've even gone the extra mile and sealed their quirks completely to prevent unwelcome surprises, while disconnecting their 5 senses from their brains for good measure.
"I assumed AFO wouldn't bother retrieving them, but it's still… irritating." I admit, a faint edge curling into my voice.
'Why am I still annoyed?' They're disposable… I expected it, and yet…
'Should I vent a little on them?' I wonder, before casting the thought aside. 'I don't casually kill people.'
Even if it's up for debate whether Nomu count as people… Gigantomachia, at least, is undeniably human.
My hands clench and the telekinetic field tightens. Bones creak as they're squeezed tighter, muffled groans echoing from their sealed mouths.
A moment later—
SHRRRK—
They burst into dark sludge one after another, dissolving mid-air. All except two.
All AFO clones had long since died, otherwise I'd have scanned their minds and found all his bases.
But it doesn't matter.
With nothing else left in the airspace…
I release a slow breath.
"Time to go."
Space bends around me, the ripple extending outwards and enveloping us all, as we teleport back to U.A.
(Nezu POV – U.A. Conference Room)
Tension hangs in the air like humidity before a storm. Every pair of eyes in the conference room flicks between the satellite feed and the silent comms panel. Even Aizawa, who masks his emotions with professional ease, has a barely perceptible crease between his brows.
They're all worried for the same reason.
Letting a student, our student, stand alone against villains even pros would struggle to survive against… it's a decision none of us are comfortable with. Even I am not immune to the unease curling in my stomach.
But—
'I believe we can rely on Kata.' I conclude again, reviewing everything I know about his power, behaviour, competence, and judgement. 'He wouldn't do something if he's uncertain he'd succeed.'
Right on cue, the projection changes. The entire battlefield freezes, AFO loses an arm, and Kata floats beside Cathleen who's already a breath away from death, and in seconds, her body knits itself back together, as if time has rewound.
'It still amazes me how effortless it seems.'
Then he moves on, retrieving and healing the remaining four pilots from the wreckages of their aircraft… people who, by all rationale, should be dead.
Based on my calculations of the damage, it's impossible for them to have survived, so some other factor is at play.
'Is he even capable of resurrecting people? But if so, why only four instead of all why six?'
It could be a limitation, certain conditions needing to be fulfilled, or a cooldown. At worst, his personal choice, but the latter is unlikely if he took steps to save any at all.
The thought makes residence amongst my numerous other unanswered questions regarding Kata Okada. And then, with a single gesture, he destroys all the clones he'd captured, then disappears. Him, Cathleen, her crew, and the remaining enemies.
Aizawa groans. "Where did he—"
Before he can finish, space distorts, and Kata appears in the center of the room, in front of the projection which switches off on its own.
"I've dropped Cathleen and her crew in the infirmary. They're all healthy but asleep." Kata begins without preamble, his tone flat, controlled, and startlingly brisk. So brisk it borders on uncharacteristically dismissive of everyone's shock.
'He's almost back to how he was when I first met him. Guarded, like he's prepared for war at any moment.'
That's the first red flag.
"Gigantomachia and Hood are tied up outside the building." He continues. "I've knocked them unconscious, and disabled their quirks completely, so it'd be difficult for them to escape."
"Good work." I say with a small nod. "Did you uncover anything else?"
He hesitates for just a moment. But for Kata? It's glaring.
'How distracted is he that he's letting his emotions slip?' I wonder.
"…While I couldn't capture AFO." He says slowly, "I learned that he's working with someone named Kudai Garaki, a doctor. He identifies powerful quirks for AFO to target…and I'm fairly certain he's the one creating the Nomu."
Everyone tenses, but they don't move to interrupt him.
My claws tap lightly against the table thoughtfully. 'How did he acquire that information? Is it information he's always known, and only now revealing, or did he acquire it from Gigantomachia or the Nomu somehow?'
But, regardless, I'm unable to confirm it for now. I doubt he'd give me a straight answer of I asked.
"Thank you, Kata." I reply. "We'll launch an investigation into Garaki immediately. Once we confirm his location, we can—"
"That'll be too slow." He says immediately.
Several teachers exchange glances while Aizawa's eyes narrow.
"You'll need numerous heroes to launch an attack." Kata continues, his voice low and clipped. "The Nomu I captured is only one of many, with even more being stronger. They're like the ones from Hosu, and would be capable of defeating most high-ranking pros. And while you're fighting them, Kurogiri could let them escape."
That lands heavily. Even Cementoss shifts uncomfortably.
I study Kata more carefully.
'This is unusual. He avoids trouble and getting involved whenever it can, unless it directly affects him or those he cares about. So why… why does he seem so impatient and tense?'
I doubt it's for Cathleen, as while friendly, he wouldn't go this far out of his way.
'So either AFO poses a direct threat to Kata, or someone close to him.' I rationalize.
"What exactly are you suggesting?" I ask gently.
"I want to help."
The words land heavily.
Before I can even respond, Aizawa speaks first.
"No."
Kata's turns to face him with a questioning gaze.
"You're still a student." Aizawa says, tone firm but not unkind. "You shouldn't be involved in fights with villains of this magnitude, or even villains at all. You don't even have your provisional hero licence, so doing so would be illegal. You've already done more than enough."
His gaze sharpens. "Leave the rest to the pros."
Midnight folds her arms, but she speaks comfortingly. "He's right, Kata. This isn't your burden to carry."
Snipe nods. "You go out there with us, you paint a target on your own back. Bigger than you've already got."
Present Mic sighs. "And we really don't need AFO getting obsessed with you any more than he already is."
The room quiets, thick with held breath.
Despite their words, I know they feel ashamed. I do too.
'We were so helpless that we had to get Kata involved, yet turn around and ask him to leave it to us…'
'His power far surpasses even All Might.' I think. 'And his presence alone could shift the entire balance of any conflict… but…'
I clap my paws lightly, the sound crisp enough to recenter the room.
"I agree with Aizawa." I say softly but decisively. "Kata, trust us. Believe in the heroes of this country, and leave AFO to us. We will bring him to justice."
My words have no effect, failing to reassure him.
That, more than anything, confirms to me that keeping him out of the operation is the correct call.
I worry about him deciding to go off on his own, or persist in being involved, but…
He inhales deeply, more like someone restraining emotion than calming down, and after a long moment, exhales.
"Very well." He says, his expression smoothed over into near-emptiness. "I'll entrust the rest to you."
And then he disappears.
The room remains frozen for several seconds.
Then I exhale, long and slow.
"…We need to monitor him." Aizawa mutters. "He's not behaving rationally."
"Yes." I reply quietly. "We do."
And I'm certain everyone else is thinking the same thing.
'But… is it even possible? Much less stop him if he ever decided to do something.' I sigh, hoping he really will leave it to us.
*********
A/N: Hello Everyone! How are you all? If you've enjoyed the chapter and book thus far, please consider leaving me some comments, reviews, or power stones. It really helps the book out.
So, it feels like I have a lot to explain this chapter (which kinda feels like a poor reflection of my own ability to convey things, through writing alone, but here we are😭.
Firstly, Kata's emotions. It's out of character right? That's intentional, and it isn't. He's getting irritated not because I suddenly want him acting against AFO, but it's cause of his quirk. He's a calm guy, logical enough to know his response isn't normal, and wonder why, but not pay it too much mind, since it's his genuine feelings.
In MHA, quirks give their user a certain disposition and affect their personality. Kata's quirk, Telekinesis, predictably makes him someone who likes having things within his control. Throughout the book, everything's kinda been within manageable levels of control. At the start when he was weak, he knew the plot, later on, he was strong enough that he could handle everything, even if things detailed slightly.
But now, AFO kinda just negated his quirk. On top of that, he's dealing with the idea that his loved ones could be hurt or injured because of this. And the frustration of not being able to end AFO then and there. It all compounds to give this reaction. And beyond that, it also has a narrative reason for much later if you connect the dots from past chapters. So, it was all intentional!
Regarding reviving people, he made it seem like they were alive, so only Nezu, and those who really know his quirk could even begin assuming he could revive people. They also all forgot about All Might, but he'll be remembered eventually.
And yeah, I decided to have Kata a bit more involved. And his attitude with the teachers isn't falling out, going against the world level stuff. They can understand he's frustrated about something, and that he might do something stupid like Ida, but are tense cause they can't stop him🤣. It's not that they think he's suddenly a bad person. Everyone has bad days.
He'll calm down sooner or later, and it won't because some catastrophic, MC can't control his emotions and starts acting stupid type stuff. And he doesn't care what the teachers want. If he could, he would kill Kyudai immediately, but he doesn't know where the dude is. So, let's all wait and see😀.
You can also read 10 chapters ahead and support me at [email protected]/AMV_WEAKLY
But that's all from me. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day/night 🌃.