[Somewhere in the Ocean]
POV Renji
The smell of the Pacific fills my core with every breath I take.
My legs flick and drive underneath the surface and my arms carve smooth arcs with ease. I've collapsed into a smooth rhythm now. Kick, pull, breathe.
Salt stings my lips as I turn my head, an awkward taste as the lights of my home country grow ever brighter. The water presses in on all sides, cold and heavy. But at the same time, it's familiar, almost welcoming.
I take a moment to mentally jott down some ideas for later, for when the situation isn't as urgent as it is now.
—
With one final heave, my feet hit coarse sand and I can finally feel the beauty of hard ground again.
Who would've thought that swimming across the Pacific Ocean, albeit only a small part of it, could be so exhausting?
All jokes aside, the coastal village of Choshi is almost blinding compared to the dead expanse of the Pacific. Even out here on the edge of town.
Futilely shaking off the wet clothes I know will return to their peak dryness the second I turn off my Quirk, I push off and begin walking up the stairs next to the beach and find myself walking past the night crowd.
The people here are smiling brightly, with the younger kids surely already tucked in bed at home. Occasionally, there's a group of teenagers gathered mischeviously, huddling around a pack of cigarettes one of them stole from their parents, disregarding any curfew set on them.
It's not my problem, and my problem isn't theirs either.
Turning away, I keep marching on towards my goal.
—
[Hosu City, Japan]
POV Manual
A large thud echoes at the end of the street we're on and I turn to see the dust settling as a softer shake pushes the dust away from the clearing.
Walking towards us is a stunning woman with sharp piercing eyes and verdant green hair that gleams under the flickering lamp light.
Behind her in a disfigured mess lies a grotesque humanoid, its limbs stretched out in awkward angles and I think I even see a few teeth jutting out from the side of its face.
"Gross, right?" She asks with a smirk as she grabs a water from a nearby stand and drains it in one go.
"Gross sums it up," I reply with a wary chuckle. It's only been something like ten minutes since the alarm rang out and people like her keep falling out the sky, having fought some nasty creature or criminal.
"I'm assuming you've cleared the path from here to the agency?" The woman asks with a gesture.
"We've secured the area along with the other Heroes from Hosu City Office." Iida confirms beside me, nodding seriously. "This is the end of our usual route."
"In that case, I'll keep scouting out ahead." She nods, already beginning to walk away.
Before either of us can suggest anything different, her skin shimmers a rigid brown and the woman bounds forward, climbing up onto the rooftop of a convenience store and heading off.
"Let's go, Iida." I try to ignore the awe and self-doubt blossoming in my chest as we watch the hero leave.
"…Iida?" Spinning around, my mouth gapes open as the spot where my trainee once stood is empty, only the faint noise of a roaring engine being any sign of his whereabouts. "Iida!"
—
POV Iida
A red shredded cape swinging in the whistling wind.
He was right there, shuffling through the alleyway like some kind of street rat. I should've been more focused, maybe then I would've noticed him watching me all this time.
The corner comes sooner than I expect, but a quick burst in the back of my legs keeps me on the right path. I need to be careful not to expend my Quirk too quickly. I'm not arrogant enough to believe I can beat Stain when I'm not at my best.
A shrill cry bounces off the walls in front of me and adrenaline floods my system in waves as I draw ever nearer.
With a powerful jump, I vault over the overturned garbage bin and swiftly lurch back as a razor sharp edge flashes across my helmet, knocking it to the ground before I can grab ahold of it.
"Boy…" Stain's voice is raspy, like a gutteral sound only a sickly child could make. "Leave."
A quick glance at the figure behind him sparks another rush of adrenaline. The man is reminiscent of Native Americans, his costume including a headgear with a sharp feather and a cape. The strange position he's in as he gets pushed back by Stain tells me he's paralyzed, incapacitated.
If I leave now he won't survive.
"You'll kill him if I leave." My voice comes out stronger than I'd thought, almost like a real hero. "And I've been searching for you."
Stain raises his arm slowly, pointing his katana and aligining it between my eyes, making it almost disappear under the darkness of the night.
"I've seen those eyes before." He says casually, not taking me for much of a threat. "You're here to avenge Ingenium, aren't you?"
"He was another stray piece of dust in the wind." Stain continues to monologue and suddenly turns his back to me, walking toward his prey. "Don't think I won't kill you just because you're a kid."
His words are all I need to hear as I launch forward at breakneck speed, swinging my leg forward. Sparks fly as Stain turns around rapidly, already expecting the surprise attack.
The shock rattles up my leg and into my spine. My kick skids off his blade and the force is redirected with infuriating ease.
"Fool."
I twist midair and land hard, boots scraping against the rough ground. A sharp pain flares through my calf where the impact jarred my engine. I didn't think he'd be able to push me off so easily. I used too much power.
Stain shoots me a grin.
I barely register the motion as his katana flashes in a tight arc. I duck instinctively, the blade shaving the air where my throat had been a moment ago.
Cold steel kisses my shoulder guard and tears it free in a shower of sparks.
I stumble back and I can hear my heart hammering like it wants out.
"All that speed," he mutters. "Yet your resolve wavers."
Another strike, horizontal this time. I jump, vaulting over the blade with my engines roaring. My boots hit the wall and I kick off it with everything I have, rocketing straight toward him.
My knee slams into his chest and I can feel a satisfactory smile blossom on my face.
For a fraction of a second, his eyes widen. The impact landing as bones creak beneath muscle. He skids back several meters, boots carving against the ground as he stablizes himself.
I rush in, engines pulsing in controlled bursts, launching me in a more unpredictable pattern. Do it for Tensei.
He chuckles, and my focus hones in on the sound, but before I can react, a blinding light fills my vision mid dash.
My engines quickly turn off, but the power I put through them has nothing to do with my current momentum.
I raise my hand to brace myself, still blinded by the light, when an excruciating pain radiates from my palm.
My body hits the ground hard, the impact rattling my teeth. Parts of the exposed skin on my shoulder tears and my bones scream. Just like I did to Stain, but much more uncontrollably, I skid across the alley on my side.
My palm burns like it's just been branded. I curl my fingers instinctively and flinch at the pain and the feeling of cold metal.
Adjusting back to the darkness takes just a second and I raise my gaze to watch Stain standing a few steps away, his posture still relaxed as if this fight were just another meaningless blip in his hero killing career.
He bends slightly at the knees, katana angling down as he prepares to finish the job.
My body refuses to listen. I try to shout, to do anything, but my throat only produces a raw breath.
Suddenly, the alley erupts into chaos.
A green blur slams into Stain's side like a runaway train. The impact launches him far, crates exploding outward as Stain slams into them.
A familiar voice trembles through the air, tight with fury.
"Get away from him!"
Midoriya stands between me and Stain, knees bent as he prepares for any sudden movements. His eyes burn bright, pupils shaking as a subtle marks appear on his skin before settling down. What remains is a crackling green lightning, reacting to the air around him.
Stain pushes himself upright slowly, a grunt reverberating from his throat as he strains his neck.
"Another child," he says with a smirk. "How many more of you are there?"
Midoriya doesn't answer. Choosing to plant his feet instead, fists clenched tightly.
"Can you move, Tenya?" Midoriya asks, keeping his gaze fixed on the Hero Killer.
A loud cough echoes from my throat before I can speak. "Don't get involved, this has nothing to do with you."
"If every hero thought like that then they wouldn't be heroes in the first place." He responds without a hint of hesitation. "Getting involved in other people's business is what heroes are supposed to do."
From afar, I watch a smile creep onto Stain's face.
"How accurate!" Stain yells with a grin, brandishing his katana.
The air snaps as he moves, his weapon carving a silver line straight for Midoriya's throat.
Green lightning crawls across his skin as he backs out the way only to swing wildly, forcing Stain to block with his forearm guard.
The sounds swim around me as I try to gather my bearings again. I can't let Midoriya fight by himself. What kind of hero would I be if I didn't even try to move.
My back aches, my shoulder feels sore from Stain's earlier hit, and my legs feel exhausted. But still I stand, watching the two clash with reckless abandon.
An unexpected breeze picks up behind me and I see a flash of transparent ice smash down where Stain once stood.
"Todoroki?!" I yell, finally planting my feet firmly.
"Sorry I'm late." Todoroki says while landing softly beside me. "I've already called for reinforcements, Deku."
"Nice work, Shoto!" Midoriya shouts back, coming to a standstill with the Hero Killer.
I straighten despite the protest of my engines. The pain doesn't vanish, but it dulls in comparison to the swelling in my chest.
The moon's light finally shines down into the alleyway as my engines sputter once, then roar back to life.
Stain's gaze narrows in response, eyeing us carefully.
The alley feels to small for what's about to happen.
—
POV Renji
"Just what am I supposed to do?" I joke even though my heart is hammering in my chest and I can't escape the dread filling my body.
Emi's dark hair is cut short, frozen in place. Her eyes are frantic and all I can do is stare in anger as three large Nomu follow behind through the shopping district in Hosu.
Two of them have large leathery wings lined with veins that pulsate with their dirty blood. The last is fitted with wiry dark muscles akin to an trackstar. What makes this one special are the sharp blades grafted into the back of its forearms, almost akin to the way I dealt with that first Nomu in the USJ.
Still, observing them for this long doesn't help much. The fact still stands that I'm hundreds of kilometers away on a fancy island with no way of teleporting myself all the way to Hosu.
"There are missiles…" I contemplate whether going through all that trouble is worth it but dismiss the idea quickly. "Not only is the research on the island not artillery focused, but there isn't any weapon that could swiftly take only these three out while leaving Emi and the rest of the city alive."
A sigh escapes my lips at the impossible situation and doubt begins to poison my thoughts.
"I'm sorry," I apologize to Emi, even though I know it has no effect. "I shouldn't have left you alone. Not when I'd be so far away."
I spend some more time contemplating my options. Maybe there's a hero nearby that'll be able to help?
Unfortunately for both Emi and I, the pro heroes haven't dispatched long enough to reach this region.
The few that I recognize from my ventures into restricted databases are too weak to be of much help, too unaware of the issue. No. They'd just get ripped to shreds, if these Nomu are anything like the one I fought.
"There's way too little data on these guys," I complain while scratching the back of my head. To think there would be an attack so soon. It seems that things are progressing much faster than I expected.
Who knows? All For One might even show his ugly mug. As if things could get any worse.
Even the sweet goodness of a nearby tea shop doesn't do much to help my mood. A stray chip enters my mouth, filling it with a curious ketchup flavor.
Stress eating at a time like this. Well, it's more like brainfood, I guess.
"Just what am I supposed to do?"
I decide to take a walk. Surely there's something out here that could help.
—
"Manual and Iida…" I mumble while walking out of Hosu City Office. Not even the alarm has rung yet, the operator just a click away from the intercom button.
They'll get into the action soon enough, with what I've seen happening around town.
But then again, it doesn't seem like any capable hero is on route toward Emi.
"Dammit." I curse the bad luck—both our lucks. Why'd she even have to be in Hosu anyways?
Understanding fills my mind as I reach a vantage point. That creepy pale fucker is just standing there! It's all his fault. Just look at the smug look on his face!
Ignoring the satisfied look on Shigaraki's ugly mug, I spit on him before walking by, taking note to smash his face in when I get the chance.
I give the weird school girl a glance before leaving her too. I've seen that girl before, walking through the arcade that one time. Who knew that cute girl could muster such an expression?
"Everyone's got their secrets—" I mutter before a sudden thought crosses my mind. "Secrets…He'd kill me if something went wrong with it."
—
I look up at the moon's brilliance shining down on me, flooding me with dangerous ideas and calculations.
It's been days, just watching Emi's startled figure as Nomu rush toward her position.
There's a crowd between her and them. But I can see the way they look at her through the others sprinting away. How much time would I have?
Can I trust the few heroes nearby to take action? Stall long enough for me to actually do something.
"It'll be a gamble," I conclude.
Raising my gaze from the ground, I look at Emi again, memories rushing back. The first time my Mom introduced me to her, how young I was at that time—she was like a giant, a kind one. Taking care of me even when things fell apart. Not having a Quirk couldn't stop her. Didn't stop her from getting a promotion, finding love in Yamamoto…dealing with the grief that followed.
A warm feeling fills my body and my heart slows, far from the scare I first had when I got that notification.
"It's a risk I'm willing to take."