Chapter 76: I Can’t Sit by and Do Nothing.

Having finally woken up, Pony now has to fact the fact that her class was hit, and hit hard, and that a friend was missing, taken by the villains. But that grief wouldn't keep her and others down. And for the heroes, it's was the spark...

(Previously)

"You said most got taken out by the sleeping gas guy, and Yanagi got…" Pony had to stop before she…screamed? Cried? Fired off her horns at something? She didn’t know, and she didn’t want to know. “What about Midoriya? I heard from Muscular that they were looking for him…”

Their silence was damning.

“Please no, please don’t tell me.” Pony didn't know she was starting to cry as Kendo bowed her head. She felt the most shame, not just as a class rep but as someone who had been there. She had been in reach and still couldn't do it.

"We couldn't stop it, I tried-I fought like my life depended on it, but…they got away with Midoriya," Kendo confirmed.

Line Break

No one spoke after that, but the room wasn't silent, though some might have wished it were. Monoma couldn't look anyone in the eye; instead, he glared at the floor like it was the root of all their problems and grief.

Kendo was similar; she was angry at herself. She was the class rep, and her classmates' safety was her responsibility, yet when one needed her most, she couldn't do a damn thing. What sort of class rep, what sort of hero failed at something so simple?

Komori was trying to keep her tears in check but failing. She had been a wreck since the attack; she couldn't stop seeing it. Yanagi, the ever cool, collected but still kind and quirky Yanagi, laid out on the dark forest floor, bloody and broken because she got scared. When they got back, she saw Reiko being fussed over by paramedics.

She didn't catch what they said, as it was like a blanket had fallen over her ears and her ears alone, leaving her to do nothing but watch as they worked to save her life. Even the knowledge that she was alive couldn't keep Komori's worst fears and nightmares at bay.

Tetsutetsu was uncharacteristically silent. His face was as expressive as a lump of steel. But his clenched fists shook with a barely concealed rage. Like Kendo, he felt responsible for this, but it was worse as she might have failed, but he knew her-he knew their big sis would have given it her all. And what did he do?

Nothing. He sat back and waited. Sat back and did nothing as his friends and fellow students fought for their lives against villains trying to kill them. Those same fights that nearly killed Yanagi and Tsunotori. The same fights that saw Midoriya missing, and so many of their friends still knocked out because of some stupid gas.

On the other hand, Pony looked like she hadn't heard their confirmation, like she couldn't comprehend that their lovable pyromaniac wasn't with them. But the machines she was connected to revealed the truth; her heart rate spiked, she started to break heavier, and before long, tears gathered in her eyes and started to fall. But she didn't look like she was crying; she didn't wail or whimper. Instead, it was as if she was stuck between heartbreak and disbelief, and her brain couldn't settle on one.

“This…this is…” Pony struggled to speak, her thoughts all jumbled. “We…I couldn’t save them? He’s…he’s gone because of me.”

"No, it wasn't—" Bondo spoke in place of the more direct students who were either not present or visible and shaken by events, but Tsunotori wouldn't hear it.

“We were all together, all of us. We…we were meant to protect each other. But…But I was too weak and got hurt. If I weren't just smarter, faster, stronger! I could have…” Pony gasped, her voice choked out by tears, frustration, and so much more she couldn't even name.

“I couldn’t help my friends and now…now Izuku’s gone…” Tetsutetsu marched up to her bed, and he spoke up when she turned a miserably, angry look his way.

“Then we’ll get him back.” Tsunotori's face twisted, first in outrage at how simplistic and offensive that sounded, as if they could just pop in and grab him like when taking back a borrowed item. But then she felt confused as she looked into Tetsutetsu's eyes, and she didn't see a lack of understanding, but the opposite. He just didn't care that it wasn't so simple.

She wasn't the only one, as the rest looked at him like he was crazy, as Tetsutetsu continued. “I didn’t catch most of that, but I’m pretty sure I could get the gist of it.”

"What do you mean 'get him back'? It's not like he got grounded. He was captured by villains who vanished through a portal like they always do. We wouldn't know the first place to look." Kendo reminded him, as if—and that was Mt. Lady-sized if—they wanted to fight the villains. They could be anywhere in Japan. Hell, who's to say their warper couldn't transport them as far as Korea, China, or Norway for all they damn knew?

Tetsutetsu glanced her way. "Funny you should mention that. I was here yesterday to visit you guys. Kendo and Bondo were with me, but I split from them and ran into Kirishima and Todoroki." He recalled meeting up with the two after they checked in on their hospitalisation. This number was a fraction of class B's. "They saw All Might and some cop talking to Yaoyorozu from class A. According to her, she and Awase attached a tracking chip, and she made them a tracker."

Kendo's gaze narrowed as she put the scheme together and didn't like what she saw. “Hold on, you can’t be serious about this. You said it yourself, the heroes are already on it, and why would Yaoyorozu make you another?”

“Because I can’t just stand aside, not again.” Tetsutetsu looked down, grinding his teeth so hard that he risked chipping them. When he looked her way, he looked lost. "Kendo…you could fight, you gave it your all, and I just stood by like a chump and look what that got us!" He yelled, his arm swinging to showcase the room, the hospital, this damned situation.

"I don't know how I'll convince her, I'll get down on my knees and beg if I have to, but I'm not going to let things pass me by. My friends were hurt, one of them is missing, and I'm only to help find him and bring him back safe." He slammed his fist into his chest, right over his heart, which hadn't been still since the attack. Since he saw Pony's condition, then Yanagi's, the rest, and lastly, he didn't see Midoriya.

“Tetsutetsu, please don’t shout. This is a hospital; we don’t want to be kicked out.” Bondo tried to keep the tension down.

"Yeah, and the camp was one thing; we got fucking jumped, so we could fight back, but it's different now. You'll be breaking a shit load of laws if you try to chase the villains now." Awase recalled putting that tracker on and how terrified that entire thing was, but they had done their part. Let the pros handle it from here. Wasn't that the right move?

Tetsutetsu didn't argue its logic. "I'm not an idiot. I know this sounds dumb. I know it is dumb, but it doesn't change what I feel. I can't stop this feeling." Turning to Pony, he held out his hand. The American was sweaty, her mind racing a mile a minute as she considered his words. "I know you feel it, Tsunotori. I know you want to keep trying to bring our friend back.”

“Wait…to be clear,” Komori asked, her voice still weak from her lost composure. "You're going to ask Yaoyorozu to make another of those receivers and track the villains down to fight them? By yourself"

“I want to pummel their heads in, and make sure they pay for messing with us,” Tetsutetsu punched his palm, his hands turning to steel, but with a breath, he released his quirk and his shoulders relaxed. "But I ain't so angry that I can't think straight. I can't fight them on my own. All I want is to rescue Midoriya. Ragdoll too, if they're being kept in the same place."

He turned to address the group. "It'll be dangerous, and just about impossible for one person to handle, so….Yeah, I need help, that's why I'm asking Tsunotori and the rest of you." He sent her a look over his shoulder, but it wouldn’t be so easy for the rest to follow, particularly Kendo.

"That doesn't change much, and you know it. Those villains were trying to kill some of us, and yes-they went out of their way to kidnap Midoriya and Ragdoll, but that just means they want them for something. Do you think they wouldn't be guarded? That they won't fight to keep them?"

Kendo hated that she had to say it, because saying it only made it hurt more that somewhere, their classmate and one of the pros who protected and taught them, could be going through something horrendous, or already be dead.

Monoma spoke, the boy being unusually calm about this. “Tetsutetsu, you’re asking for help, but what would you do if none of us agreed?”

Tetsutetsu’s response said it all. “I think you guys can figure that out,”

“But the heroes are already on this.” Kodai pointed out.

"She's right. If Yaoyorozu and Awase could leave a means to trace the villains, and she handed it over, it means the pros, the teachers, and All Might are already on the case. We could risk just getting in the way if we went." Bondo nodded, to which Kamakiri scoffed, but didn’t speak.

“Being useless….” Komori whispered, her air hiding her gaze as she lowered her head, lost in what the rest thought was self-loathing.

A knock on the door broke the tension in the room. They turned to see it slowly opening as a doctor came in. "Sorry, kiddos, but I must speak to my patient."

Sharing a glance, they could tell that the discussion wasn’t over, far from it, but they also couldn’t keep having it here. “Maybe we should see how the rest are doing. I bet Honenuki’s already up.” Awase tried to cheer himself and the rest up as he turned to leave.

"Or Shiozaki," Kamakiri added as the group started to leave, but Tetsutetsu lingered at Tsunotori’s bedside.

"I'm going to talk to Yaoyorozu later. If we do this, it's tonight. You and me, we're close to Midoriya, and I know you must be real pissed about this, so I wanted you of all people to know about this." He told her, missing how Kendo had paused at the entrance, still within earshot before she finally left.

Line Break

Around 30 minutes later, Tsunotori was seated on her bed, her bandages almost all removed, leaving only her mid-section covered in a fresh pair. Still, it wasn't nearly as much as before.

"Well, I can say you came in with some pretty intense injuries, namely the stab wound from your own horn, but Recovery Girl was able to speed up the healing process, which was why you were out for so long." The doctor explained, which relieved her, though she still couldn't recall everything that happened after a certain point.

Her doctor, a middle-aged man who looked like he had been on rotation since before the sun rose, looked through her chat with a nod before turning his attention back to her. “The rest of your injuries should be about healed, though I wouldn't advise anything strenuous for at least a couple more days. But what is worrying is your quirk."

“My quirk?” She asked, reaching for her horns for what felt like the 20th time, as it was so…weird having things attached to her which she didn’t know like the back of her hand. Horns that felt like they needed a good polishing.

The doctor nodded. “Have you ever heard of the concept of ‘Quirk Awakening?’”

“No, doctor.” She replied, splitting into English again, which, instead of confusing or annoying the medical professional, got her a small smile from the man.

“Well, I didn’t expect you to,” he replied, catching her off guard with how perfect his English was. It’s an incredibly rare occurrence, not really understood all that well. The reasons for that are quirks don't just evolve thanks to hard work or training but due to a tremendous amount of stress, exhaustion, and even being in a life-or-death situation.” He explained, which, when she thought about it, made sense.

Sure, people volunteered for medical trials. I'm pretty sure some pre-quirk heroes got their powers like that, one of which was really big in the States and was heavily associated with shields. But she doubted anyone would willingly sign up for something that would be near lethal.

The doctor continued after seeing her understand things: “In your case, I would say it was all 3, and because of that, you evolved Horn Cannon into something new. From what we can say now, it seems like you can build up and release a sort of energy that drains energy and life from cells while replicating the results of extreme long-term disease.”

Of course, that wasn't what they learned from studying the comatose Tsunotori; instead, it was part of the report from the medical staff at the villain hospital where the captured culprits were treated. Muscular's condition was the worst of them, the man having the muscle profile of a man approaching his 80. Though he couldn't say he was happy to learn, it seemed like it was not permanent.

“I…I have a sickness attack?” Tsunotori gulped, her grip on one of her horns growing tight, which was horrible. She didn't want to hit people with something like that. Sure, villains needed to be stopped, but she didn't want some knock-off cancer blast.

The doctor wasn’t good with kids, but he tried to keep her from going down a dark rabbit hole. "It's a facet of it, but till we can handle more testing, I can't say. However, it seems that the energy charges slowly and subconsciously as you were just about empty when you were brought it, but your horns exhibit a building charge."

She couldn't see it, but her horns seemed a little larger and wilder-looking than when she was brought in. I would guess that the stored energy had some influence on their growth.

Still, he had something to pass along that would lift her spirits. Something he pulled from his pocket as he talked. “Listen, I know that having a power like that what’s typically seen as heroic, but if you need to remember one thing about this it should be this,” He held out a folded piece of paper for her, one which she didn’t know what to do with, but an encouraging look from the doctor saw her taking it, and seeing on the bottom Kot’s name written on it, the letter being addressed to her.

“You used that power to save a life. I don’t know about you, but that seems pretty damn heroic to me.”

Patting her back, he got up to give her some alone time. "A quirk, no matter how amazing, is just another part of us, like a limb. Some might choose to do harm with them, but you chose to do good."

Line break

Pony wouldn’t open the letter, not immediately. Instead, she would wait till she had something to eat, and was sure no one would interrupt she would. With the window opened to let in some fresh air, she stood by it, reading through the short letter from the boy.

'Dear Ms. Tsunotori. Sorry for being rude, and thank you for saving me, even though you don't know me all that well. Get well soon so we can talk in person. I want to show you around my secret spot without some stupid villains ruining it. Signed, Kota.'

Pony didn’t know what, but she found it plausible that Kota struggled real hard to write this and had his auntie help him. This thought made her giggle, but also smile, as she couldn't help but find it nice that he would approach her and sit patiently as she helped him write a letter to some dumb hero, as he liked to put it.

Kota…who was alive because of her, and this new freaky-ass power of hers. So…what was she to do now?

As she pondered those decisions, others had already made theirs and gathered pieces to act on them. The League of Villains had been an annoying problem, but not a major one. However, a consequence of them stepping up their game meant that the heroes would as well, and they intended to see them crushed.

Therefore, the police brought heroes like Endeavour, Best Jeanist, Edgeshot, Ryukyu, Gang Orca, and many others. This would be an operation where the heroes of Japan demonstrated why villains thrived in the shadows, and that those shadows would now have the light shed onto them.

Line Break

Evening had long fallen, and outside the hospital, treating their classmates, Tetsutetsu waited to see if Yaoyorozu would help them. Them because he wasn't alone. “Thanks for…you know.”

Todoroki, who stood with him watching the well-lit hospital, kept his gaze on the door, waiting to see if it would open. "Don't mention it; ultimately, it's up to Yaoyorozu to decide if she can help. If she doesn't, then we'll just head home early."

Tetsutetsu didn’t look all that comfortable with them being present, but not for the reasons one would expect. “Yeah, I know, but…I wouldn't have asked since, well, this isn't your classmate, but"

Kirishima patted his back, giving him a small, toothy smile. “I feel the same way you do, and sure, everyone from our class made it out, but what sort of man would be happy with just that?"

"I owe Midoriya a debt; he saved me when I needed someone. It's time I save him." Todoroki added that, as it was not for Midoriya and his incessant pushing, he wouldn't have started using his flames to become the best hero he could.

His attention shifted as the door opened. "She's here," Todoroki called out as the wealthy heiress stepped out of the hospital, a large band-aid covering part of her forehead, but other than that, she seemed fine, and she wasn’t alone. “And Tsunotori.”

Tsunotori didn't look that banged up, but with her jersey unzipped, they could see her spaghetti top and the bandages still around her waist. Tetsutetsu worried for her but was relieved to see her here, as it could have only meant one thing.

But all that hinged on Yaoyorozu as Kirishima cut to the chase. “Did you decide?” He asked, to which Yaoyorozu’s gaze shifted to the side.

"I thought about it for a while, " she started, but didn't finish, keeping her gaze off them.

“I had a feeling." Everyone in the group jolted or jumped in fright as they turned to see Kendo approaching them. Her hands were in her cargo jeans pockets, but they didn't believe that it didn't mean she wouldn't fight, not when she looked so conflicted and angry to see them here. “But I hoped I would be wrong.”

“Kendo?” Yaoyorozu asked, as she had never guessed they roped her into this.

"Not just her, you know," Monoma spoke up, drawing attention to himself and Komori, who looked like she didn't want to be there. She nervously switched her weight from one foot to the next, her head bowed so long they couldn't make out her face.

“Monoma? Komori?” Tsunotori found this strange. Kendo being here was weird enough, considering how firmly against the idea she had been. Monoma was an outlier, as he hadn't voiced an opinion against or in favor of the plan.

On the other hand, Komori didn't think the girl would have the confidence to even make the attempt, not when she had been so dead set on the idea that she had been at fault. But then again, wasn't Pony feeling the same? Didn't she blame herself for being too weak to keep fighting?

"I thought you wouldn't get any help, but then these two seemed to want to tag along," Keno explained after taking a deep breath through her nose and exhaling through her mouth, seemingly to keep from screaming their heads off or smacking them into the ground so hard they could be mistaken for human carrots.

“It was because of me, no matter what anyone says, that Yanagi,” Komori explained, rising her head to show she wasn’t crying, not now. Instead, her gaze dared them to try and stop her. “So I want to, I need to help save Midoriya. I can’t just let others do it for me.”

Monoma seemed chill, but to those who knew him, they could tell it was merely an act. "The pyromaniac's my friend, and he's put himself on the line plenty of times to save others. It would be real shitty of me if, when given the chance to step up for him, I sat on the sidelines."

That answered those questions, but it left one big one untouched. “What about you?” Tetsutetsu asked, which seemed the wrong thing to do as Kendo's gaze blew up.

“You’re seriously asking me that?” Her voice was soft, like a hammer hidden in a cotton bag. "You think after knowing your plans, and the fact you would have run off half cocked and gotten yourself hurt or worse, that I would have just done nothing?" She challenged, marking up to Tetsutetsu and grabbing him by the collar, her hands growing enough that he was lifted off the ground.

“You could have told the teachers,” Todoroki stated, as he didn’t buy this show of force. Not from Kendo. “If you wanted to stop us, you could have warned them, so they’ll force us to remain out of it.”

“But…you didn’t, why?” Tetsutetsu didn't believe she would hurt him either; instead, he bet she needed to vent.

A bet that was proven right as she yelled. "Because I feel the same way, dammit! I'm more pissed than I’ve ever been, and no matter what I think, or how I try and rationalise it, I just keep feeling this way.” She growled but let him go, removing her hands from his person and stepping back, her gaze on her hands. Hands she had trained so hard. Hands she thought would be enough to save those in front of her.

Hands that failed, as she couldn't reach her vice-class rep, and could do nothing but watch as he and his captors vanished into that stupid portal. “As soon as I was cleared, I wanted to just rush off, find that crossdressing tomato and make sure he was safe, safe for Tokage to tease. For Monoma to annoy, for me to rely on as my vice rep.” She whispered the last part, but the walkway into the hospital was quiet enough that they could hear it.

Tetsutetsu felt a little ashamed as he had never considered it before, but Kendo was their big sis. She was the one they could rely on, but didn't she also need something she could trust? Someone she could know would be at her back when she needed it?

But Kendo didn't let him try to comfort her. Instead, she took a breath and regained some of her composure. "So I didn't tell anyone. None of us did, if I'm guessing right. Instead, I compromised. Call it pragmatic, call it selfish, I don't care. I chose to help you, to ensure that if things get too much, I can drag you all out of there."

"If you agree to that, then I won't call up Vlad sensei right now." She pulled out her phone, Vlad's number visible, and a pre-written message prepped to prove her point. All it would take was her tapping send, which would crash and burn before it could take off.

"It's the same for me. I understand your frustration and feel like I should have done more as a recommendation student. Still, I can't just let you all needlessly risk yourselves. So, I decided to join you as a backup and keep an eye on you all." Yaoyorozu wasn't as willing to stop them, but she also wouldn't let them act recklessly, more so than they already were.

“I don’t want anyone else to end up in the hospital.”

"I…I'm not going to stop so easily," Pony stated, looking Kendo, Tetsutetsu, and the rest in the eye. "Midoriya is my friend, and he needs my help, so as long as I can move, I'm going to help him and anyone else who needs it. It's just how things are."

“Well, it’s not like we’re giving us much choice, are you?” Tetsutetsu noted, but Kendo didn’t lower her phone.

"Welcome to the club. It's not nice having people just doing dumb stuff." She countered, but ultimately got her wish, as the group agreed to their terms. With that done, as a show of goodwill, she deleted the message before it was ever sent. Now, it would be on her and Yaomomo to pull their asses out of the fire.

Line Break

At the same time, the gathered heroes met in two locations, conversing via a video link. In the first, which happened to be the police's regional headquarters, a stacked list of names was present. Along with around a dozen high-ranking police officials and two dozen heavily armed SWAT officers, there were also All Might, Endeavour, and Edgeshot, along with smaller names such as Kamui Woods and a pro brought out of retirement, Gran Torino.

In the second location, a smaller police station, the list of names was similarly impressive. It was headlined by Best Jeanist, Ryukyu, Gang Orca, and smaller names such as Tiger from the WWP, Mt.Lady, and X-less. Also present was Hado, fully kitted out for hero work as Nejire-Chan. With them were two dozen heavily armed SWAT units.

"We've gathered some of Japan's top talent for this operation; now let's talk strategy, " the detective who led the investigation, Tsukauchi, started.

“Why should I clean up U.A.’s mess? I’m a very busy man, as you should know.” Endeavour was as pleasant as ever, but the gathered pros were unfazed by it.

“Get off your high horse, Endeavour,” Jeanist scolded the older man through the video link, fixing his hair as he did so. “You are a U.A. alum, or are you implying you're too good to lend aid when needed?” He challenged, one which Endeavour wasn't so short-tempered or foolish to take.

The detective spoke up, stopping any potential fight from breaking out. “We can’t call in heroes from the school, and this needs to be as surgical and powerful a strike as we can manage. That’s why we asked for so many top heroes, though it seems that Hawks couldn’t make it.”

This was a disappointment, as having someone who was the master of aerial support and quirk take-downs would have bolstered their chances, but he must have been busy. It was a miracle they could pull as many big names as they did, as they had gathered 6 of the top 10 for this operation.

Some would call that overkill, that All Might or Endeavour with a lower-ranking member of the top would have been more than enough. But Tsukauchi, All Might, and the detective’s superiors wouldn’t take chances. They couldn’t take chances.

“Listen up, the League of Villains, and those associated with them are perhaps the greatest threats to hero society as we know it. We’ll stop at nothing to ensure that we handle this before it can be allowed to grow any further.” The detective turned to the group he was with, All Mights', but it wasn't as if the second couldn't hear him clearly.

Ryukyu frowned. She had been surprised and concerned when she first heard the news, and thus, when she received the invitation, she was all the more eager to join in.

“Midoriya is under my supervision, as the hero handling him should his different worldview ever make him a threat. But from the moment I met him, I've never seen such signs. He's as honest and devoted to his goals of being a hero as they come. Such a soul wouldn't be so easily cowed by these villains, but we can't waste time on this rescue.” She voiced, as for all his strengths, he was still a boy, and fragile in ways most couldn’t understand.

All Might had similar sentiments, but they weren't exclusively rooted in what they could do to young Midoriya, but more in whose clutches he was.

“And if I’m not mistaken, Endeavour. Young Midoriya interned at your agency and made some improvements while there. I imagine a man like you would be keen to continue to foster such a talented student.” All Might asked his fellow top hero, Endeavour, who grunted and ignored his rival, a common thing, but at least he didn't try to deny it. So All Might would hold hope that, despite his gruff tone, the fact that Endeavour had honoured this summons showed that he cared.

"My comrade, Ragdoll, was also taken. This is my chance to get her back.” Tiger clenched his fist, as he had promised Mandalay that the entire group would be assembled when Pixie woke up. He had also promised Kota that he'll see the 'crazy energetic one' again, and he'll be damned if these villains made a liar out of him.

“Thanks to the tracking device placed by 2 of the students, as well as our own investigations, we have 2 locations which we believe to be League strongholds. To address that, we're splitting our forces into two, with the bulk heading towards where it's believed the League has gathered most of its fighting strength. We also believe that the hostages would be present, so it's a priority that they're rescued.” Tiger nodded as All Might's group was able to handle the first target. Odds were, he wouldn't be seeing Ragdoll till after this was done, but as long as she was safe.

"Simultaneously, we'll hit the second location, where the Nomu and possibly more will be stored, thus cutting off their paths of retreat and means to play their monsters as they did at Hosu.” The detective continued, as the Jeanist group would be responsible for subduing and capturing any Nomu that could be stored with the one they were tracking.

Gran Torino, the shortest person present by far, walked up to All Might. “Toshinori, if they’re recruiting old men like me,”

All Might turned to him, his ironic smile on his face as he cut his old mentor off. "What are you talking about, master? You're as quick in your step and strong in your kick as you were 20 years ago."

Gran Torino smirked, holding back from smacking All Might in the shin for that comment. “As if 20 years ago was my prime, you moron.” He wasn’t sure if he was trying to assure him, saw through him, or just wanted to hit him with a subtle jap at his age.

"Still, with such staggering stakes at hand, we can be sure he is involved." All Might's smile grew strained, Gran Torino knowing well why his former student was on edge.

“All for One…”Gran Torino whispered, feeling a shiver work its way down his spine. If he was honest, he had long believed that bastard dead and gone. But it would seem he wouldn’t go quietly into the past.

“Ryukyu, was it a good idea that I was invited?” With the other team, Hado approached her mentor, worried that she was an odd one out here. For something so important, she and they couldn't afford any weak links, not when this was their perhaps only chance to get Midoriya back.

Ryukyu turned to her, her face not the typically kind and patient she had, but that of a veteran hero. "It was, Nejire. I didn't pick you for this because I thought you would want to come, or because you were worried about your junior. I did it because I have full faith in your capabilities."

She placed a hand on Hado's shoulder and ordered her, “Show these people why you’re a member of U.A.’s Big 3.”

Hado nodded, casting her doubt back into the dark pit it crawled out of. “Can do, Ryukyu. I’ll teach these villains a lesson they won’t forget, and ensure the kidnapped are brought back safe and sound.”

It was a good time to gain her confidence as the detective announced, “All right, heroes, it’s time to move out! Remind the world what you can do, heroes!”

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This came down to the wire, as I couldn't write anything for it on Monday, and it seems like that'll be a trend for the whole week. Luckily, I had notes that helped speed things up; otherwise, this would have been delayed or posted in the early morning hours, and I would have liked my sleep. Thank you very much. Last chapter was a real gut punch, almost as much as when I wrote the USJ and Izuku getting torn in half, but now…. he's been captured along with Ragdoll. AFO has his eye on him, which can't mean anything good.

Line Break

I must admit, I thought I would get more done in this chapter, but it wasn't bad for me. The last was the heroes just coming to terms with the L they took, and now they're already on the move to ensure they get some payback. I'm looking forward to writing about how this 9-man rescue team will handle things, how Ryukyu and Nejire-Chan's presence will change things, and how the villains, in turn, will counter.

And before I forget, yes, Pony’s horns are larger now, I would say roughly 30% larger when she’s drained, with them being around 50% right now. So her silhouette would be different while remaining recognisable.