At some point in the night, a group of robbers sped through the city streets in a high-speed chase, desperate to escape from the pursuing police after successfully robbing a bank.
The robbers were confident that they would get away and soon bask in their newfound wealth.
"I can't believe we actually pulled it off!" the first robber, who was driving the getaway car recklessly, exclaimed with excitement.
The second robber laughed wildly, tossing handfuls of money into the air inside the car. "That was too easy! Whoever helped us plan this job is a genius!"
"Eyes up, boys! The cops are still right behind us!" the third robber barked, leaning out the window with a submachine gun and opening fire at the pursuing police cars.
The officers returned fire while swerving to avoid the barrage of bullets, their sirens wailing through the night as they pushed their vehicles to the limit.
"Criminals! Surrender now!" shouted Officer Roger Raincomprix through a megaphone as he drove skillfully after them. "This is your first and final warning!"
The robbers ignored the warning entirely, continuing to shoot at their pursuers. Just when they began to believe they could smell freedom, the driver's confidence shattered.
His eyes widened in horror as he spotted someone standing in the middle of the road—Mercury.
With a panicked curse, he yanked the steering wheel, causing the car to swerve violently around the hero.
The sudden motion threw the second robber against the car door. "Ow! What's your problem, man?" he groaned, rubbing his head.
"It's Mercury! That superfreak's after us!" the driver shouted, his voice trembling as sweat ran down his temple.
Mercury watched them speed past, several police cars racing by him in pursuit, while he calmly finished eating his chili dog. A smirk tugged at his lips.
"Ah, nothing's better than watching a bunch of crooks think they've won," Mercury remarked teasingly, chewing the last bite. "Don't you think so, Mightyfly?"
"Yes. They should've surrendered while they had the chance," Mightyfly replied through their telepathic link. "I thought you wouldn't accept my gift again, Mercury. You've been getting quite a lot of attention lately."
"Are you kidding? It felt incredible when you turned me into a superhero!" Mercury said, grinning with genuine enthusiasm. "Saving lives and stopping bad guys—it's really starting to grow on me. I thought maybe you didn't need me anymore."
"I'll continue granting power to those who truly wish to help others—and you've proven you do," Mightyfly responded warmly. "But you might want to hurry. Those criminals are getting away."
Mercury chuckled, crouching into a ready-to-run stance. "Then I gotta go fast."
As Mercury sprinted through the streets, a brilliant streak of green lightning trailed behind him, illuminating the night.
He slowed just enough to wave at a group of children watching in awe from the sidewalk, their eyes wide with wonder, before accelerating again to continue his pursuit of the fleeing robbers.
When he caught up to the police cars, Mercury playfully ran backward for a moment, flashing the officers a grin and a friendly wave before turning forward again and surging ahead.
Within mere seconds, he had caught up to the robbers' vehicle, his expression mischievous as he easily matched their speed.
"Excusez-moi, monsieur," Mercury called out sarcastically, appearing beside the driver's window with a teasing smile. "Did you know you've kind of stolen a large sum of money from a bank? I'd really appreciate it if you returned the money, you know. It's good for your reputation as a model citizen."
"Screw you, freak!" the third robber shouted furiously, leaning out of the car and firing his submachine gun.
Every bullet missed as Mercury casually darted side to side, his movements a blur.
"Hey," Mercury said, suddenly appearing by the backseat window, his tone calm and almost friendly. "You seem a little tense. My mom's a therapist—maybe I could ask her to help you work on that anger issue."
"Shut up!" the third robber screamed, firing wildly in frustration.
"Mercury," Mightyfly's voice echoed in his mind, composed yet firm. "Rescue the civilians caught in the crossfire. Then capture the robbers before they cause more harm."
At once, Mercury's playful expression vanished. He sped off in a flash of green, darting across the streets to scoop up frightened bystanders and move them to safety in the blink of an eye.
Once every civilian was secure, he zipped back to the robbers' car and, with lightning precision, snatched away all their weapons.
In an instant, the firearms were dismantled into harmless scraps that clattered onto the road.
"Okay, playtime's over," Mercury said, his tone shifting to one of stern resolve. A tinge of guilt crossed his face—he knew the civilians could have been hurt because of his earlier carelessness.
He then blurred around the robbers' car in circles, his speed tearing the vehicle apart piece by piece until nothing was left but the seats.
The robbers sat frozen in shock, bewildered to find themselves sitting on bare asphalt where their car had once been.
Mercury came to a stop in front of them, crossing his arms. "You three should prepare to serve your sentence," he said firmly. "You almost killed a lot of people tonight."
"Damn you!" the third robber spat, still seething, earning irritated glares from his companions.
Mercury turned as the police vehicles finally pulled up, sirens blaring. "I'll let them handle it from here," he said with a casual salute. "Bye-bye."
In a flash of green light, he was gone—darting through the city at impossible speed before finally coming to a halt atop the Eiffel Tower, the wind whipping around him as he gazed out over Paris.
There, atop the Eiffel Tower, Mercury found himself face to face with Mightyfly—the one responsible for granting him temporary powers.
To his surprise, the mysterious hero who had given him such incredible speed was not an older, godlike figure as he had imagined, but a teenager roughly his own age based on the appearance.
The realization caught him off guard for a moment, though he quickly brushed it aside.
"So, I guess you're Mightyfly," Mercury greeted casually, adjusting his green flat cap.
"Indeed, I am," Mightyfly replied, his tone composed yet warm.
With a subtle gesture, he commanded Kamiko to emerge briefly from Mercury's cap before returning to Mightyfly's own brooch, dissolving into soft light as it did.
"I appreciate your help tonight, Allan Gavroche. You've been the only one capable of dealing with the criminal activity spreading across the city. After all, I can only empower one person at a time. I only have one Kamiko."
"It's fine," Allan said, smiling faintly. "I really enjoy being a hero. But it does eat into my time with my family. And with school starting next week, things are going to get… complicated."
Though he cherished the thrill and purpose of being a hero, Allan couldn't deny the strain it placed on his ordinary life.
"Why don't you just raise more butterflies?" he suggested half-jokingly.
"I don't exactly have the means for that," Mightyfly admitted with a small, almost embarrassed laugh. "I'm not rich. I only found this butterfly by chance."
"Fair enough," Allan said with a shrug. "Well, looks like I'm the only effective hero you've got for now—and I'm willing to keep helping."
His grin returned, bright and eager.
"Now, will you please get me down from this tower, Mightyfly? I think I've done enough running for one night."
Mightyfly chuckled and nodded. "Sure thing."
—
A few minutes later, Mightyfly was moving silently across the rooftops of Paris, his steps light as he scanned the city below. He was trying to sense any strong surge of positive emotion—something pure enough to create a new Kamiko connection—but tonight, there was nothing.
The streets were calm, no major crimes, no chaos. For once, Paris was quiet, and he found himself... bored.
"Back in my world, there were always villains causing trouble. The Pro Heroes never caught a break," Mightyfly murmured, gazing up at the glowing full moon above him. "Is this what it would've been like if my world had been peaceful? No Quirks, no villains, no endless fighting?"
He wondered if this calm, beautiful night resembled the world before Quirks ever appeared back home. The thought brought a strange warmth to his chest. A world where no one was ridiculed for being Quirkless, where no one needed to risk their life to prove their worth.
There would still be cruelty, he supposed—bullying never truly vanished anywhere—but it would be ordinary, human, and perhaps easier to confront than a world divided by power.
"Although," he mused aloud, looking around, "there are a lot of billboards of someone named Adrien Agreste all over Paris. Is that normal?" He tilted his head, amused, before spotting a familiar sight below. "Huh. A bakery."
Mightyfly stopped on a nearby rooftop, reading the sign that glowed softly in the streetlight: Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie.
The smell of freshly baked bread wafted up into the night air. Inside, he could see a few lingering customers and, on the balcony above, a girl lost in a daydream.
He guessed she must be the daughter of the bakery owners.
"I could use some snacks," he said to himself with a smile. "I wonder if they have shokupan." He chuckled at the thought—bread from his home country in a Parisian bakery was unlikely, but worth hoping for.
Then, with quiet grace, he leapt down from the building, landing softly in the alley beside the shop.
"Nooroo, light wings fall."
Nooroo emerged gently from the brooch, his wings glowing faintly in the moonlight.
"Are we going to get some food, Master?" he asked, his tiny voice carrying a note of excitement.
"Certainly," Mightyfly—Izuku—replied with a small smile. "Both you and I are starving. I'll grab something to eat before we call it a night."
He motioned for Nooroo to slip into his jacket pocket.
"Better hide for now. We don't want anyone spotting you."
"As you wish," Nooroo said, settling inside the pocket. "Though, if possible, I'd love some Pocky sticks. I don't think they have those in Paris, though."
"Who knows?" Izuku chuckled softly, stepping toward the bakery door. "Maybe they do."