Mirio ran down the empty hall, keeping pace. Iruma looked angry, slowly speeding up. "Stay back." He told the hero. "I know you can probably run up there already, but if they have everyone guarding one room you'll be creamed and unable to do anything. Heroes need to stick together, right?"
"Right. Overbird is strong. Can't fight him alone no matter how much I want to." It was depressing how much everything seemed to go wrong. He thought things around the office would lighten up with Iruma around. He made Bubble girl laugh! That should've made everything better!
Except Sir seemed determined to do everything he could to make the kid mad, even when he showed progress. That and the frankly impossible decisions they had to make this week made any kind of smiling disapear. There was only one solution to this problem. A clever pun!
"You know, abbs are best built in places like this, a core-idor." He was met with multiple groans and a chuckle from Iruma … and Sir. The two blinked before looking at each other, shaking it off as they ran. Finally, a connection! Now they had something to talk about after this was all over.
"Hey, did anyone hit me in the head?" Iruma asked the group.
"Despite how much I'd love to see that, no." Sir responded. "Do you feel injured?"
"No, it's because I think my vision's spinning. The hallway looks weird." He looked ahead, noticing the hallway twist and turn.
"That's not just you, I see it too." Mirio muttered, the corridor actually shifted and formed a wall in front of them. Shit.
"Open sesame!" … They all turned to Iruma. "I thought it would work. Happened in the fairy tales." Bubble girl giggled as Sir looked a bit jealous of that. Maybe humor wasn't the best subject for them to talk about.
"The hallways are actually spinning and moving!" Creati stumbled along with the rest of them, struggling to get a solid footing. "Is this Overhaul's doing? He's able to reshape matter anyway he wants, right?"
"No, this seems more like the work of Joi Irinaka, he can possess objects fluidly. But he should only be able to control something as small as a fridge!" Fatgum cried out.
"They have large quantities of triggers." Nighteye stated. "Who's to say they didn't indulge."
"You'll never get out of this place alive." The walls seemed to speak, actually growing a face. "I, Mimic, will crush all of you in a matter of minutes."
"Hey, just because we step on you doesn't mean you get to hurt us! You never complained before!" … Iruma may have missed the point of how the quirk functioned, or that they were actually fighting a villain and not a hallway.
"Oh yes, taking out Iruma Suzuki, that one is going to be a personal pleasure!" The villain shouted. "Do you even KNOW how much trouble you caused for the financial accounts I have to run?" They were taking this grudge pretty seriously.
"You're bad guys! Why are you even doing taxes to begin with?! Wouldn't it be smarter to just keep all the money yourself? My parent's got away with tax evasion, so it should be pretty easy." His parents got away with what?
"Secret organizations trying to keep out of police notice tend to need some amenity, and I for one refuse to be a bastard like that! SO DIE!" The walls closed in, only halted by the efforts of Kettei, Red Riot, Sugarman, and Miriko.
"Okay, I need to have a personal talk with a rat and two bastards after this is all over!" Miriko shouted. "Anyone got any bright ideas!? Eraser, why the hell aren't you just stopping this guy?"
"I need to see him to negate, he's hiding in the walls and I can't get a glimpse of skin."
The wall they busted closed up instantly. "I won't let you move that easily!" Damn it, no way in.
"Lemillion." Sir looked at him. "You're the only one that can move ahead. Do the best you can, play for stalling."
"On it, sir! I'll clear the path ahead for the rest of you!" He sank into the ground and slipped past the villain's grip. He would fix his mistake! He wasn't going to rest until Eri was
saved!
==
"Come on, come on, it should be around here." The scent of blood was faint, but it was strong enough. Twice could only fool everyone with her double for so long. It was an amazing trick and sure to keep them distracted, but it didn't bleed, so the cute factor was heavily reduced.
She felt the roof and ground shake. Looks like the heroes were here, and if Overbitch was correct, so was Iruma-kins in his fluffy blue glory! She wanted nothing more than to cut him up cute and stab anyone that tried to take him away, but she had to resist. Shiggy was counting on her, and she wouldn't disappoint him.
Oh, it was getting stronger. In this hall, in that door being guarded by some nobody playing on his phone. Easy to slip past and into the … daycare center? She saw piles of toys, pink all over, and a big fluffy bed with a four year old … in bandages … oh shit.
On one hand, it became a lot easier to convince her to join. On the other hand, it was gonna be hard to hold back against Overbitch the next time she saw him. Also she had no clue how to talk with children. None of them were old enough for romance.
"Hi." Toga silently whispered to the girl with a little wave, crouching down just a little to meet her at eye level. "Is this your room?"
The girl looked at her and scooted back, shaking nervously like a scared little puppy. "S-stay back.."
"It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you." She looked at all the bandages that were across her limbs, as well as the old dried and bloody ones that were scattered on the floor.
"No…If you get closer, my curse will hurt you.."
"Your … curse?" She asked, standing where she was.
"My curse took away daddy, and it made mommy leave me. I'm a monster."
"Why did we have to give birth to such a monster?" "She's a freak." "We were cursed to have such a villain related to us!"
"Hey now, you're not a monster." She sat down, showing off her fangs. "See these? I'm a vampire. Like from the stories and stuff."
"Pointy…" The girl looked at them. "Pretty and shiny." She felt herself flush a bit.
"Yep, and your horn looks even prettier. It makes you look like a unicorn."
"Unicorn?"
"Yeah, pretty and beautiful creatures that are very rare, so that makes you special." She got a bit closer, now on the bed. "A one of a kind girl that makes the world happy."
"But..But Chisaki says…"
"It doesn't matter what people like him say. If they don't care about you, you shouldn't listen to them." She slowly reached out her hand. "I promise, you're going to get out of here."
"Well you're half right." She froze, turning slowly to see Overbitch standing there with white cloak, whipping off some blood. Looks like the guy was punished. "May I ask how you found this room?" As much as she wanted to fight … she knew someone better was coming.
"I smelt blood, I got curious." She stood up. "I was checking around for valuable rooms to see if there was a place to sneak up against heroes."
The man looked like he didn't believe her. "We need all hands on deck, there's a phaser on his way, see if you can slow him down, would you kindly?"
"Of course, crow man. Whatever you say." She looked back at the little girl. "You'll never see him again after today. I promise." She whispered in an almost dead silent tone.
"Come on Eri, the heroes are coming. You don't want any of them killed because you were slow, now do you?" She twitched her hand, holding back as she walked out the door. The bastard would get what's coming to him. One way or another.
==
Momo screamed with everyone as they were dropped down to the floor. "Is everyone okay?" She heard Ejiro ask the group.
"I landed on something soft." Rikido grumbled.
"Yes … me." She twitched, a bit of malice in her voice. "Get off." There was only room for one person in her life to do this with, maybe two…wait..
"Right right!" He scrambled. Everyone was getting their bearings together in this-why was there a dojo in an underground base? Especially such a colorful looking one?
"Huh, not too bad. Nice place for a workout." Miriko looked around, helping Iruma on his feet. "When you said a bunch of Crow men were chasing you, I thought it was just a dream you had from one too many kicks to the head."
"Nope … I don't think … I mean the oni invasion might have been a dream." The boy mumbled. "So where's the wall we need to smash?"
"Sorry boy, you won't find a wall here." The group turned, seeing three men standing there. A thin blond, a buff bald one, and one that had a bag for a head. "So you're the one that got fifty of our men, including the three of us, arrested? Believe me, this is something I've been waiting for a long time!"
"Is there anyone here that DOESN'T hate me because of a SINGLE case!?" Iruma shouted, slowly reaching his boiling point. Maybe they should get him a spa treatment, a way to destress.
"Actually Soramitsu is pretty impartial to enemies, and Rappa only hates that you ran away instead of punching him in the face." The buff one called out, pointing to the bag head.
"Yummy food." The man looked at them hungrily, which caused Iruma to growl like an animal. From there Momo actually saw something she thought she'd never see. An enemy growling back at Iruma, staring at him like prey.
"Grrrrrrr." The tension was made visibly clear. Two predators vying for dominance. If one made the wrong step, they would be devoured in an instant.
"Kettei, the girl?" Nighteye snapped him right out of it. "We'll make this quick." Nighteye raised one of his stamps, only for it to vanish into the man's hand, along with every officer's gun. "... Kettei … would this happen to be the 'shoe person' you spoke of?" The pro twitched with restrained fury.
"Yep. The bag one is really hungry and eats walls and the bald one … didn't actually do anything."
"That guy has diamond skin. Just another tough nut to crack." Miriko smirked.
"Don't get carried away, you should all save your strength." Suneater got in front of everyone. "I can take it from here. The rest of you go!"
"Not alone! I'll assist you!" She said, getting ready for a fight.
"Against the man that can take any object you make and turn it against you?" … Damn it! He had a point.
"Then I'll stay." Sugar Man cracked his knuckles. "I can at least hold off one of these bastards. Suneater can clean up the rest." The man ate an orange, muscles starting to form. "We can handle it from here!"
"Alright, leave it to them." Fatgum waved everyone forward. "They're unstoppable when they get like this."
==
Rock lock grunted. "Are you seriously okay with leaving them behind?" He asked the pro.
"One day, you'll see it man. The next generation is far beyond what we pros were capable of back then, or even now in some cases." Sure they were
"Yeah, so get the stick out of your ass, Lock head." Miriko was as intolerable as ever. "I swear you weren't this much of a buzzkill last time we saw each other."
"Maybe having a kid makes you realize that sending children to do adult jobs is a horrible situation." The pro actually stumbled in her step.
"Wait, you got married? Someone put up with you?" Of course that's the angle she went with.
"Yeah, two years now. She just gave birth to our son too." He remembered the day fondly. "I fight everyday now to make sure the world is a safer place for him to grow up in."
"That sounds cool." Kettei smiled from under his mask. "Don't worry, we'll all make it safe for kids."
"You're a kid." He deadpanned.
"No, I'm a teenager."
"Same difference. When you're out here doing this job, you see a lot of things you shouldn't. Violence, death, you see just how terrible the world and the people who live in it can be."
"I've been doing dangerous jobs ever since I was three. I had to cough out paint for a week."
"The rat better have some fucking answers." Miriko grumbled. He blinked.
"So now you want kids. What happened to you never being able to 'settle down'?"
"I never settled down! My Kit's just awesome enough to keep up with me, unlike you!"
"Oh you can eat a-" The wall once more came out, about to crush them.
"MOVE!" Fatgum pushed forward, being hit as he was sent into the wall.
"Shit, we got separated." No shit sherlock. Anything else to note?
"Creati and Red Riot are gone!" Damn it! Their numbers were dwindling fast, and it was the kids at that to boot! It was times like this that made him seriously wonder if they were doing this hero thing right in the first place.
"Oh look, new friends! Too bad they're not very cute!" What sounded and looked like a little girl rushed towards him with a knife. "A little blood can go a long way!"
"Don't get too rough Toga-2! Show no mercy! We might need them! Toss them in the trash!" It was gonna be that kinda day wasn't it? Even the kid looked like his head was gonna burst.
==
Tengai sighed, watching the three imbeciles sent to face them get their collective brain cells together. "Man … that was quite a tumble, good thing no one else was there."
"I'm inside of your stomach Fatgum-sir." A red head got out.
"And I'm in your backside sir." A ponytail spoke up.
"Better there than three feet under, I guess." The hero pulled the kids out of him. "What were you two thinking!?"
"Taking the hit for someone else." The red one answered. "I can harden, they can't. Besides, I can't leave you alone sir!"
"The group has been spitting up more and more as we progress. Kettei is with Nighteye, Miriko, Rock Lock, and Erasure Head. I believe I can better contribute my abilities assisting you both." The girl explained herself.
"Alright, there's nothing we can do about it now, so keep your guard up." Fatgum looked around. "We're not alone."
"No." Tengai stepped forward. "For you face a spear and a shield, when you yourselves are two shields and a knife. Barely adequate to fight against us." It was a waste of rouces to clash with these children. Why couldn't Mimic send some more worthwhile weight for their class?
"Two shields? That dumb! What kind of fight wins with two shields!?" Rappa, the useful but dull oof he was paired up with, yelled out.
"I mean technically speaking a shield has been known for bashing." They stared at the girl with eyes that asked 'are we really going there?'. "I trained myself with many weapons, take it or leave it."
"Weapons have no place in a real fight!" Rappa charged right at the heroes. "A real fighter kills his opponents with nothing but his bare hands!"
"I've got him-" A person would bat an eye at a quirk like 'strongarm', the ability to rotate one's shoulder blades. They clearly have never been on the end of one of Rappa's punches. The ones strong and fast enough to leave small holes inside of any man as the child went into the wall.
"Red Riot!" "Ejiro!" The two that were unharmed for the moment shouted in concern for their ally, who's skin looked more blocky than it did a second ago.
"My…My arms…" The red head looked at his limbs, staring in horror as the hardened skin started to crumble off of him. "He broke through…"
"Make that one shield, the other is clearly not adequate enough." He muttered in contempt. Quickly he crossed his fingers, a yellow light covering him as the girl's staff bounced off. "And the knife only has tricks that will fail her in the end."
"A barrier quirk…this must be what Kettei meant by eggshells." The girl analyzed.
A beat of silence filled the room until Rappa laughed loudly. "Alright girly, just for that, you get half death." He was surrounded by uncultured swine.